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Explanation  of  Plate  XLII 


Long  Island  meteorite  as  at  present  restored.     X  I- 

From  a  photograph.    The  position  from  left  to  right  of  the  page  is  that 
probably  assumed  by  the  meteorite  in  falling. 


Field  Columbian   Museum 
Publication  64. 
Geological  Series.  Vol.  I,  No.   11 


METEORITE    STUDIES— I. 


BY 


Oliver  Cummings  Farrington,  Ph.  D. 
Curator,   Department  of  Geology. 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 

May,  1902. 


METEORITE  STUDIES— I. 


By  Oliver  Cumaungs  Farrington. 


LONG  ISLAND,  PHILLIPS  COUNTY,  KANSAS. 

MUSEUM  NUMBER  Me.  420. 


Nearly  all  of  this  great  meteorite  is  possessed  by  the  Museum 
and  this  has  been  the  case  since  the  opening  of  the  institution  in  June, 
1894,  but  it  has  never  been  fully  described.  A  few  lines  were  devoted 
to  the  meteorite  and  a  cut  of  it  shown  in  the  catalogue  of  the  meteorite 
collection  published  in  August,  1895.*  A  petrographic  description 
from    fragments  of  the   stone  was  also  given  by  E.  Weinschenk   in 

i895-t 

No  account  of  the  finding  of  the  stone  seems  ever  to  have  been 
published  however  and  there  are  many  other  features  which  are 
well  worthy  of  description.  For  details  regarding  the  occurrence  of 
the  stone  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Williston  of  the  University  of  Kan- 
sas and  Prof.  Willard  of  the  Kansas  Agricultural  College.  Prof. 
Williston  states  that  a  fragment  of  the  meteorite  first  reached  him  in 
the  fall  of  1892.  Prof.  Willard  secured  one  at  about  the  same  time. 
On  recognizing  the  meteoritic  nature  of  the  fragments  sent  them, 
Profs.  Williston  and  Willard  at  once  entered  upon  negotiations  for 
the  purchase  of  the  mass  and  soon  became  its  possessors.  The  work 
of  collecting  the  pieces  at  the  original  locality  was  done  by  Prof. 
Willard,  and  to  him  I  am  indebted  for  information  regarding  the 
occurrence  there. 

The  meteorite  lay,  he  states,  on  a  slope  of  the  ordinary  soil  of  the 
upland  prairie  region.  There  is  no  outcrop  of  rock  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  and  none  within  several  miles,  so  far  as  he  knows.  Where 
there  is  an  outcrop  the  rock  is  limestone.  The  distribution  of  the 
pieces  of  the  meteorite  as  first  seen  by  Prof.  Willard  was  such  as  to 
indicate  that  the  mass  had  struck  upon  the  slope  and  its  front  portion 
being  stopped,  the  rear  portion  had  broken  up  and  gone  ahead.  The 
four  large  pieces  which  are  put  together  to  make  the   mass   shown   in 

*  Field  Columbian  Museum  Publication  3,  p.  59. 
t  Tscb.  Min.  u.  Petr.  Mittlt.,  Vol.  14,  p.  471. 

283 


284 


Field  Columkian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 


Plate  XLIII  (Frontispiece)  were  together  and  in  contact  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  fall.  The  top  of  these  projected  about  four  inches  above 
the  soil  and  the  lowest  point  to  which  they  reached  was  perhaps  two 
feet  below  the  surface.  Beside  these  large  pieces  a  quantity  of  smaller 
fragments  more  or  less  imbedded  in  the  ground  extended  down  the 
slope  in  a  northwest  direction  for  a  distance  of  from  15  to  20  feet  in 
a  gourd-shaped  area  which  was  perhaps  six  feet  wide  at  the  widest 
point.  The  accompanying  section  and  plan  (Fig.  1)  from  a  sketch  by 
Prof.  Willard  will  give  an  approximate  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  fragments  lay.  The  location  of  the  spot  where  the  meteorite  was 
found  is  about  three  miles  west  of  the  present   town  of   Long  Island, 


Fig.  1.    Section  and  plan  showing  nature  of  occurrence  in  place  of  the  Long  Island  meteorite. 


one-half  mile  east  of  the  west  line  of  Phillips  County  and  three  miles 
south  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  State  line.  It  is  from  the  neighboring 
town  of  Long  Island  that  the  meteorite  takes  its  name.  With  regard 
to  the  time  of  the  fall  no  knowledge  has  yet  been  obtained.  The 
stone  was  noticed  by  early  comers  to  the  region  and  was  generally 
reputed  to  be  a  meteorite,  so  that  visitors  had  in  many  cases  taken 
away  pieces  as  curiosities.  That  the  mass  had  lain  a  number  of  years 
in  place  is  proved  by  the  coating  of  carbonate  of  lime,  in  some  places 
two  or  three  millimeters  in  thickness,  which  encrusts  many  of  the 
pieces.  Further  evidence  of  the  long  exposure  of  the  stone  is  given 
by  the  weathered  character  and  rusty  brown  color  of  the  surface  of 
exposed  fragments  of  the  stone  in  contrast  to  the  dark  green  color  of 
their   interior.      The    meteorite  as  collected   by  Prof.   Willard   was 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  285 

shortly  afterward  purchased  by  Mr.  George  F.  Kunz,  of  New  York 
City,  and  after  remaining  in  his  possession  for  about  a  year  was  secured 
for  this  Museum. 

The  entire  weight  of  the  meteorite  as  received  at  the  Museum  and 
made  up  of  4  large  and  2,930  small  fragments,  was  1,184  pounds  (537 
kilos).  This  was  supposed  at  the  time  to  be  the  entire  weight  of  the 
mass,  but  a  year  or  two  later  Mr.  Kunz  obtained  about  60  pounds 
(27  kilos)  more,  which  is  for  the  most  part  still  in  his  possession. 
This  additional  material  was  chiefly  fragments  obtained  from  people 
in  the  region  who  had  carried  off  portions  of  the  stone  for  curiosities. 
A  weight  of  at  least  1,244  pounds  (564  kilos)  can  therefore  be  posi- 
tively assigned  the  stone  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  it  originally 
weighed  somewhat  more  than  this  since  some  pieces  were  probably 
carried  off  that  will  never  be  recovered.  That  the  fragments  all 
belonged  to  a  single  mass  the  manner  of  their  occurrence  in  place  leaves 
no  doubt.  Moreover  their  edges  show  no  rounding  or  fusing 
as  would  have  been  the  case  had  any  of  them  made  an  independ- 
ent passage  through  any  considerable  part  of  the  earth's  atmos- 
phere. The  stone  is  therefore  much  the  largest  single  stone  meteorite 
known  to  exist,  its  nearest  competitors  being  the  Bjurbole  meteorite, 
which  weighs  748  pounds  (340  kilos)  and  one  of  the  stones  of  the 
Knyahinya  fall,  which  weighs  649  pounds  (295  kilos). 

As  soon  as  the  installation  of  the  stone  was -undertaken  at  the 
Museum,  it  was  at  once  seen  that  the  four  large  pieces  fitted  together. 
When  this  was  done  the  form  shown  in  Plate  XLIII  (Frontispiece) 
was  produced.  Doubtless  others  of  the  fragments  could  be  added  to 
these,  but  as  an  effort  to  do  this  proved  on  trial  to  be  likely  to  con- 
sume considerable  time  without  giving  any  important  results,  the 
attempt  was  abandoned.  There  would  be  more  hope  of  success  if  the 
Museum  possessed  the  entire  mass  of  the  stone,  but  as  it  is,  many  of 
the  fragments  would  be  missing  at  best.  The  four  large  pieces  weigh 
together  669  pounds  (303  kilos),  or  more  than  half  the  weight  of  the 
stone.  They  hence  probably  give  its  essential  form.  Their  weights 
are  269,  239,  89^  and  71^  pounds  (122,  108,  46  and  32  kilos)  respec- 
tively. The  largest  of  the  remaining  fragments  at  the  Museum 
weighs  22^  pounds  (10  kilos),  which  is  a  weight  much  below  that  of 
the  smallest  of  the  four  large  ones.  Mr.  Kunz  informs  me  that  one 
of  the  fragments  in  his  possession  weighs  about  35  pounds  (15.8  kilos). 
The  smaller  fragments  range  from  the  weight  above  mentioned  to 
those  not  over  a  gram  in  weight.  Some  have  the  true  meteorite  crust 
on  one  surface,  showing  that  they  are  from  the  superficial  portion  of 
the   stone,  while  the   rough,  irregular  surfaces  of  the  remaining  frag- 


286  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

ments  show  that  they  were  wholly  within  the  interior.  The  portion  of 
the  stone  to  which  these  fragments  would  be  attached  if  a  complete 
restoration  of  its  form  could  be  made  would  be  that  to  the  rear  and  to 
the  left  of  the  part  shown  in  Plate  XLIII  (Frontispiece)  or  to  the 
rear  of  the  stone  in  the  position  in  which  it  is  shown  in 
Fig.  i,  Plate  XLIV.  As  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  Plate  XLIII 
(Frontispiece)  the  portion  of  the  stone  to  the  right  of  a  vertical  line 
drawn  through  the  middle  of  the  plate  has  an  almost  wholly  natural 
surface.  Over  this  portion  therefore  the  actual  form  of  the  stone  is 
preserved.  The  form  of  the  stone  as  at  present  restored  is,  as 
shown  by  the  plate,  roughly  that  of  a  low  cone.  The  greatest 
diameter  of  the  base  of  the  cone  is  34  inches  (86  cm.)  and  the 
altitude  from  base  to  apex  20  inches  (51  cm.)  The  conical  form,  as  is 
well  known,  is  the  typical  one  to  which  meteorites  are  reduced  in 
their  passage  through  the  atmosphere,  from  the  fact  that  the  portion 
of  the  mass  in  front  receiving  the  'brunt  of  the  friction  and  heat  is 
worn  down  rapidly  to  an  apex  from  which  the  other  portions  slope 
away.  That  this  is  the  position  which  the  Long  Island  stone  took  in 
falling  is  further  indicated  by  the  smooth,  unpitted  character  of  the 
base  of  the  cone  (Ruckseite)  as  compared  with  the  pitted  surface  of  the 
conical  portion,  and  further  by  the  fact  that  the  series  of  pittings 
(piezoglypten)  on  the  surface  extend  in  radial  directions  from  the  apex 
of  the  cone.  It  will  be  noted  in  the  plate  that  the  long  axes  of  the 
pits  run  in  directions  nearly  parallel  to  lines  drawn  from  the  apex  to 
the  base  of  the  cone.  These  then  were  the  directions  of  the  air  cur- 
rents. The  planes  along  which  the  four  large  fragments  were  sepa- 
rated and  along  which  they  have  now  been  joined  together  are  not 
courses  of  ordinary  irregular  fracture,  but  are  definite  divisive  planes. 
There  are  three  of  these  planes,  two  being  continuous  each  in  its  own 
direction  while  the  third  may  be  described  as  made  up  of  two  planes 
meeting  at  a  very  broad  angle  (1600).  The  planes  run  in  three  direc- 
tions nearly  at  right  angles  to  each  other.  They  meet,  but  only  at 
one  point  do  they  pass  through  one  another.  If  one  will  conceive  of 
an  apple  cut  in  halves  by  a  plane  starting  a  little  to  one  side  of  the 
bloom,  one  of  these  halves  then  cut  through  equatorially  in  a  direction 
at  right  angles  to  the  first  plane  by  two  planes  starting  a  little  above 
the  equator,  but  meeting  at  it,  then  the  quarter  nearest  the  bloom  cut 
through  by  a  plane  at  right  angles  to  the  equatorial  plane  in  a  direc- 
tion running  from  the  bloom  to  the  stem,  and  passing  into  the  other- 
wise uncut  half  for  quite  a  distance,  an  idea  will  be  gained  pi  the 
course  of  the  division  planes  of  this  meteorite.  Their  course  can  also 
be  seen  by  reference  to  Plate  XLIV. 


May,  1902. 


Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington. 


287 


The  area  of  each  plane  is  approximately  as  follows: 

Plane  A  =  200  sq.  in.  (13  sq.  dm.) 

Plane  B  =  196  sq.  in.  (12  sq.  dm.) 

Plane  C  =  113  sq.  in.  (7.1  sq.  dm.) 

The  position  of  these  planes  makes  it  unlikely  that  they  were 
developed  by  the  blow  of  the  meteorite  in  striking  the  earth,  for  one 
at  least  runs    nearly  at    right  angles   to   the    probable    direction    of 


Fig.  2.    Slickensided  surface  of  Long  Island  meteorite.    X  1. 

motion  of  the  meteorite.     Further,   as  stated  more  in  detail  below, 
the  striae  of  the  slickensided  surfaces  run  in  different  directions. 

The  plane  marked  (A)  in  Fig.  2,  Plate  XLIV,  runs  quite  nearly 
in  the  direction  of  probable  motion  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
near  each  end  of  the  meteorite  irregular  cracks  appear  which  are 
approximately  parallel  to  this  plane.  Their  position  suggests  that 
they  may  have  been  produced  by  the  tendency  of  the  base  of  the 
meteorite  to  continue  its  motion  after  the  apex  had  been  stopped  by 
striking  the  earth.  The  plane  marked  (C)  separating  Pieces  2  and  4 
can  be  noted  continuing  on  in  Piece  1  as  a  line  which  extends  nearly 


288  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

to  the  edge  of  that  piece.  This  portion  of  the  plane  evidently  was 
not  sufficiently  developed  as  a  division  plane  to  produce  disruption 
of  the  piece  when  the  meteorite  struck  the  earth. 

That  the  three  planes  described  represent  a  structure  which 
existed  in  the  meteorite  before  its  entry  into  the  earth's  atmosphere 
there  can  be  little  doubt.  They  are  too  regular  to  make  it  possible 
to  consider  them  planes  arising  from  fracture  by  shock  and  there 
are  several  other  lines  of  evidence  pointing  to  their  preterrestrial 
existence.  The  most  important  of  these  is  that  their  surfaces  are 
slickensided.  The  slickensided  character  of  the  surface  resembles 
that  seen  in  terrestrial  rocks  and  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  2.  It  is  a 
smooth,  shining,  somewhat  undulatory,  like  a  roche  moutonnte  surface, 
and  bears  short  striae  which  on  the  same  surface  run  in  one  general 
direction,  but  take  different  directions  on  the  three  several  planes. 
These  several  directions  are  indicated  in  Plate  XLIV,  Fig.  2,  where 
one  of  the  fragments  is  represented  as  removed.  The  color  of  the 
slickensided  surfaces  is  somewhat  darker  than  that  of  the  crust  of  the 
meteorite,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  special  heat  having  been 
developed  by  the  force  which  produced  the  slickensides.  This  I  have 
tested  by  cutting  sections  at  right  angles  to  the  surfaces.  The  outlines 
of  the  individual  grains  were  found  to  be  sharp  and  unaltered  up  to 
the  slickensided  edge. 

Since  slickensided  surfaces  on  terrestrial  rocks  are  so  far  as 
known  produced  by  slow  differential  movement  in  the  mass  under 
considerable  pressure  and  while  in  the  solid  state,  they  may  in  the 
absence  of  any  evidence  to  the  contrary  be  assigned  to  the  same  cause 
in  this  meteorite.  The  conclusion  seems  fair  therefore  that  these 
planes  and  surfaces  were  formed  during  the  preterrestrial  existence  of 
the  mass  and  that  the  mass  must,  have  been  solid  in  its  nature  while 
in  space.  The  three  planes  which  I  have  described  seem  to  me  to 
resemble  the  joint  planes  of  terrestrial  rocks  more  than  anything  else 
I  can  think  of  and  give  us  grounds  for  asserting  the  existence  of  joint 
structure  in  the  rocks  of  space.  I  do  not  know  that  well  marked  joint 
structure  has  been  observed  in  any  other  meteorites  except  that  noted 
by  Meunier  in  one  of  the  stones  of  L'Aigle*.  This  stone  he  regarded 
as  possessing  a  joint  fissure,  but  it  was  not  as  well  developed  as  the 
planes  of  the  Long  Island  stone. 

If  the  occurrence  of  joint  structure  in  the  Long  Island  stone  is 
deemed  proved,  it  is  significant  as  pointing  to  a  considerable  mass 
possessed  by  the  body  in  space.  Joint  blocks  of  such  size  as  this 
would  not  be  likely  to  be  developed  in  a  small  body. 

*Fremy's  Encyc.  Chimique,  Tome  II.,  Meteorites,  p.  457. 


OJ   ri^Ml!*.  Ji.llj  a 


Explanation  of  Plate  XLIV. 


Fig.  i.  Drawing  of  restored  portion  of  Long  Island  meteorite  to  show  posi- 
tion and  number  of  dividing  (joint)  planes.  The  position  of  the  meteorite  is  as  if 
it  had  been  rotated  upward  from  that  shown  in  Plate  XLII1,  bringing  the  apex  of 
the  cone  to  the  front. 

Fig.  2.  Drawing  of  restored  portion  of  Long  Island  meteorite  in  slightly 
different  position  and  with  Piece  2  removed,  to  show  direction  of  striae  on  dividing 
(joint)  planes. 


FIELD   COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


GEOLOGY,    PL.   XLIV. 


A- 


Fig.  1. 


Fig    2. 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URBANA 


May.  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington.  289 

The  natural  surface  of  the  more  conical  part  (Brustseite)  of  the 
meteorite  as  it  is  at  present  joined  together,  is  for  the  most  part  deeply 
pitted  with  characteristic  meteoritic  thumb-marks  (piezoglypten). 
These  pits  vary  considerably,  as  would  be  expected,  in  form  and  size, 
but  still  exhibit  a  certain  uniformity.  The  majority  have  the  form  of 
an  elongated  ellipse  whose  major  axis  is  about  twice  the  length  of  its 
minor.  The  following  dimensions  may  be  considered  as  representing 
a  fair  average  of  the  size  of  the  pits:  Major  axis,  3.2  cm.  (i^in.) 
Minor  axis,  1.5  cm.  (^8  in.)  Depth,  3  to  10  mm.  (}i  to  }i  in.)  The 
depression  of  each  pit  generally  slopes  uniformly  toward  the  center  of 
the  ellipse,  but  often  there  are  to  be  found  pits,  the  deepest  point  of 
which  is  quite  eccentrically  placed  and  which  have  a  more  or  less  con- 
ical shape.  Some  pits  have  a  nearly  circular  outline  as  contrasted 
with  the  more  common  ellipsoidal  one.  These  circular  pits  are 
usually  of  small  size,  but  one  of  large  size  and  unusual  depth  is  to  be 
found  at  the  point  in  the  meteorite  where  the  two  planes  A  and  C  cut 
each  other.  This  pit  has  for  the  most  part  the  shape  of  a  deep  regular 
bowl,  although  the  regularity  of  one  portion  is  broken  by  two  smaller 
conical  pits.  The  depth  of  this  pit  is  3.2  cm.  (i^in.)  and  its  diameter 
6.4  cm.  (2^4  in.)  The  point  of  junction  of  the  planes  is  almost  exactly 
at  the  center  of  the  pit.  It  is  evident  that  this  was  a  point  of  weak- 
ness in  the  stone  at  which  the  erosive  action  of  heat  and  friction  pro- 
duced during  the  passage  of  the  mass  through  the  atmosphere  worked 
more  rapidly  than  on  other  parts  of  the  surface.  Its  occurrence  at  the 
point  of  junction  of  the  planes  is  pretty  good  evidence  that  the  latter 
existed  in  the  stone  previous  to  its  entry  into  the  atmosphere.  This 
fact  has  also  a  bearing  on  the  disputed  question  as  to  the  origin  of  the 
pits  in  general.  It  shows  that  they  owe  their  origin  chiefly  to  an 
excavation  by  heat  and  pressure  of  the  softer  or  more  friable  parts 
of  the  surface  of  the  mass  which  is  acted  upon.  Wherever  there  is 
a  point  of  weakness  there  a  pit  will  be  formed.  Vice  versa,  where 
a  pit  is  formed,  there  was  a  point  of  weakness. 

The  rear  side  (Ruckseite)  of  the  stone  is  not  pitted.  It  has  a 
well  developed  crust,  but  the  encrusted  surface  exhibits  no  marked 
depressions  or  elevations.  The  only  portion  of  the  meteorite  as  now 
restored  which  illustrates  the  Riickseite  is  that  appearing  in  the  upper 
right  hand  part  of  Plate  XLIII  (Frontispiece).  Here  the  surface  is 
slightly  undulating,  but  there  are  no  pits. 

The  color  of  the  crust  of  the  meteorite  is  in  general  dark  brown, 
but  varies  from  almost  black  to  light  brown.  At  a  little  distance  it 
appears  perfectly  smooth  and  in  places  shining,  but  on  close  examin- 
ation it  is  seen  to  be  quite  uniformly  and  coarsely  stippled  by  the  pro- 


2qo  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

trusion  of  the  more  resistant  grains.  In  many  places,  especially  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  pits,  minute  thread-like  markings  appear  over  the  sur- 
face, sometimes  in  parallel  and  concentric  series,  but  more  commonly 
in  arborescent  forms  which  are  often  quite  elaborate.  These  series  or 
systems  of  markings  do  not  appear  to  run  in  any  common  direc- 
tion, but  are  differently  oriented  wherever  found.  I  have  noted  no 
system  more  than  one  inch  (2.5  cm.)  in  length,  but  several  of  about 
this  extent.  They  resemble  closely  the  lines  of  flow  such  as  have 
been  noted  on  the  crust  of  the  Stannern  and  other  meteorites,  and 
doubtless  are  of  this  nature,  being  formed  by  a  minute  portion  of  the 
substance  of  the  meteorite  becoming  momentarily  fused  and  flowing 
in  a  diversified  path  until  cooled.  Their  course  in  some  cases  seems 
to  mark  the  swirling  of  the  same  air  currents  which  formed  the  pits. 
More  extensive  and  larger  ridges  are  to  be  observed  over  some  por- 
tions of  the  crust.  Three  nearly  parallel  appear  on  the  portion  of  the 
Kiickseite  just  mentioned.  Each  is  continuous  for  a  length  of  from  3 
to  5  inches.  These  do  not  appear  to  be  of  the  nature  of  the  lines  of 
flow  above  mentioned,  but  more  nearly  resemble  the  veins  which  stand 
out  on  some  meteorites  and  probably  mark  a  line  of  more  highly  re- 
sistant constituents.  Sections  cut  at  right  angles  to  the  crust  and 
examined  with  the  microscope  exhibit  little  if  any  alteration  on  the 
crust  surface.  The  mineral  outlines  seem  to  be  continued  sharply  up 
to  the  edge,  and  except  for  a  certain  smoothness  of  contour  a  crust 
surface  could  not  be  distinguished  microscopically  from  the  surface  of 
an  interior  portion.  Occasionally  a  metallic  grain  protrudes  from  the 
general  outline,  but  so  far  as  the  contour  as  a  whole  is  concerned  it 
appears  to  be  the  result  of  erosion  rather  than  of  fusion. 

The  weathering  which  the  mass  has  undergone  since  its  advent 
upon  the  earth  has  affected  it  considerably.  Even  the  larger  frag- 
ments when  broken  open  will  be  found  to  be  deeply  invaded  by  rust 
which  has  penetrated  along  cracks  in  every  direction.  Doubtless 
the  great  number  of  small  fragments  into  which  the  stone  was  found 
to  be  broken  when  first  discovered  was  due  to  this  process  of  sepa- 
ration through  weathering  rather  than  to  shattering  caused  by  the  blow 
of  the  mass  upon  the  earth.  The  weathering  has  affected  chiefly  the 
metallic  constituents  of  the  stone,  causing  their  oxidation,  and 
this  rust  has  penetrated  and  stained  the  meteorite  deeply.  The  color 
of  the  weathered,  surfaces  has  thus  been  changed  from  the  dark  green 
of  the  unaltered  rock  to  various  shades  of  brown,  a  characteristic 
color  being  a  light  yellowish  brown,  almost  white,  spotted  with  dark 
or  rust  brown. 

The  depth  to  which  this  discoloration  has  extended,  except  where 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington.  291 

it  has  followed  cracks  and  fissures,  is  usually  scarcely  a  millimeter,  the 
color  changing  beyond  this  through  reddish  to  black  before  the  dark 
green  of  the  unstained  stone  is  seen. 

Over  a  large  part  of  the  surface  of  the  stone  as  found  appeared  a 
white  amorphous  coating  which  adhered  very  firmly.  It  could  be 
removed  by  treatment  with  weak  acid  and  most  of  it  has  been  taken 
off  in  this  way  since  the  arrival  of  the  stone  at  the  Museum.  When 
its  substance  is  examined  chemically  it  is  found  to  be  carbonate  of 
lime  containing  a  small  percentage  of  clay.  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  this  coating  is  derived  from  the  calcareous  soil  in  which  the  stone 
lay  for  an  unknown  period,  the  carbonate  of  lime  from  the  soil  doubt- 
less spreading  over  the  meteorite  surfaces  through  capillary  attraction 
and  cementing  upon  the  stone  some  of  the  surrounding  clay.  In 
some  cavities  of  the  stone  a  much  greater  proportion  of  soil  is  held, 
and  at  many  points  the  cementing  agent  is  iron  oxide,  derived  doubt- 
less from  the  oxidation  of  the  metallic  grains  of  the  meteorite. 

The  unaltered  stone  when  exposed  by  fresh  fracture  is  of  a  dark 
green  color,  varying  to  black,  although  the  latter  shade  may  be  due  to 
staining  from  terrestrial  oxidation.  The  stone  is  fine-grained,  tough 
and  compact.  Occasional  portions  exhibit  a  slight  porosity,  giving  a 
slag-like  appearance.  Such  areas  are  however  small  and  the  pores  of 
small  size.  The  proportion  of  metallic  ingredients  is  not  large  but 
they  are  quite  uniformly  distributed. 

The  metallic  grains  show  most  plainly  on  a  polished  surface,  the 
distribution  and  quantity  being  illustrated  in  Fig.  3.  Occasionally 
well-marked  aggregations  of  these  may  be  seen.  None  of  the 
surfaces  that  I  have  examined  show  arrangement  of  the  grains  in  lines 
or  systems  of  lines  such  as  have  been  noted  in  a  number  of  stone 
meteorites  by  Reichenbach*  and  Newtonf.  The  largest  metallic 
grain  I  have  seen  in  the  Long  Island  meteorite  has  a  diameter  of  1.5 
mm.  From  this  size  all  gradations  may  be  found  down  to  the  minut- 
est grains,  examination  with  a  lens  bringing  out  many  not  visible 
to  the  naked  eye. 

The  bronze-yellow  color  and  comparative  softness  of  many  of  the 
grains  as  exhibited  on  a  polished  surface  mark  them  as  troilite,  in  con- 
trast to  the  silver-white  color  and  greater  hardness  of  those  composed 
of  nickel-iron.  Further  identification  of  the  grains  can  be  obtained  by 
isolating  them  or  by  treating  a  polished  surface  of  the  meteorite  with 
copper  sulphate.  On  the  polished  surfaces  examined  the  number  of 
troilite  grains  is  evidently  much  in  excess  of    those  of    nickel-iron. 

♦Ueber  das  Gefflge  der  Steinmeteoriten.    Pogjjendorff' s  Annalen  1859,  vol.  108,  pp.  291-311. 
+  .\mer.  Jour,  of  Science,  1893,  3rd  ser.,  vol.  45,  pp.  152-3. 


292  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

As  individual  grains  they  are,  however,  smaller  in  size.  Often  the 
nickel-iron  and  troilite  can  be  seen  to  be  intergrown  in  a  single  grain. 
Before  the  blowpipe  a  fragment  of  the  rock  fuses  even  in  the  oxidiz- 
ing flame  with  a  fusibility  of  about  4.5,  the  entire  fragment  blackening 
from  the  formation  doubtless  of  FeO.  In  the  reducing  flame  the 
fusibility  is,  as  would  be  expected,  greater  on  account  of  a  more  rapid 
formation   of   FeO.       Evidently    the   mixture   of   minerals   forms    an 


Fig.  3.    Polished  surface  of  Long  Island  meteorite  showing  size  and  distribution  of  metallic  grains. 
Fully  half  of  these  are  troilite.    The  light  irregular  lines  mark  the  position 
of  fractures  of  no  significance.    X  y. 

aggregate  fusible  at  a  lower  temperature  than  any  of  its  components, 
for  the  component  minerals  are  practically  infusible. 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  stone,  determined  as  an  average  of 
three  separate  portions  weighing  50,    18   and  7  grams  respectively, 

is  3-45- 

As  previously  stated,  a  description  of  the  petrographic  characters 
of  the  stone  has  been  made  by  Weinschenk*,  and  as  it  seems  desir- 
able to  collect  here  all  the  important  literature  bearing  on  the  mete- 
orite, a  translation  of  Weinschenk's  article  follows: 

"From  the  Long  Island,  Phillips  County,  Kansas,   occurrence  I 

*Loc.  cit. 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrixgtox.  293 

have  at  my  disposal  four  pieces,  amounting  in  weight  to  20-30  grams. 
They  possess  a  rusty  weathered  surface.  Many  hundred  similar 
pieces  were  found  (in  part  with  crust),  having  a  total  weight  of  1,184 
pounds.  The  meteorite  of  Long  Island  is  a  compact,  dark  stone, 
which  appears  dark  green  on  fresh  fracture  and  shows  numerous 
metallic  specks.  The  crystalline  structure  is  megascopically  visible; 
there  are  numerous  shining  cleavage  surfaces  and  the  meteorite 
resembles  the  fine-grained  harzburgite  from  Riddles,  Oregon.  Chondri 
are  only  now  and  then  to  be  seen.  Under  the  microscope  it  is  clearly 
seen  that  chrysolite  and  bronzite  are  the  characteristic  ingredients. 
The  structure  as  well  as  the  relations  in  quantity  of  the  two  constit- 
uents are  very  variable,  the  chrysolite  now  being  in  excess  and  now 
again  the  pyroxene,  and  the  general  porphyritic  structure  passes  com- 
monly enough  over  to  a  purely  granular  one.  Chondrus-like  forms  are 
found  throughout,  but  they  are  seldom  developed  in  an  especially 
characteristic  way.  Ragged  particles  of  metallic  iron,  numerous 
grains  of  iron  sulphide  (troilite?)  and  chromite  complete  its  compo- 
sition. The  chrysolite  occurs  generally  in  porphyritic,  more  or  less 
idiomorphic  crystals,  and  in  fragments.  In  the  fresh  condition  it  is 
colorless,  but  on  slight  heating  it  becomes  reddish  brown  and 
pleochroic,  and  at  red  heat  completely  opaque,  indicating  a  high  con- 
tent of  iron.  The  cleavage  of  the  mineral  is  always  clearly  developed, 
and  this  shows  in  many  cases  undulatory  extinction.  It  is  very  rich 
in  inclusions,  generally  appearing  as  dark-brown  rounded  forms 
which  often  show  regular  arrangement.  In  the  weathered  portions 
there  occurs  beside  iron  hydroxide,  a  serpentine-like  substance  as  an 
alteration  product  of  the  chrysolite.  The  orthorhombic  pyroxene  is 
likewise  colorless  and  transparent  and  may  be  classed  as  bronzite. 
It  tends  to  form  groups  of  larger  individuals  where  the  stone  has 
granular  structure;  in  smaller  crystals  it  occurs  also  as  a  constituent 
of  the  ground  mass  in  the  porphyritic  forms.  Its  distribution  in  the 
stone  can  best  be  seen  if  a  section  is  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid. 
This  dissolves  out  the  chrysolite  but  leaves  the  pyroxene  unattacked. 
In  sections  so  treated  it  can  especially  well  be  seen  that  the  bronzite 
where  it  occurs  as  a  constituent  of  the  ground  mass  often  exhibits 
skeleton  growths  which  lie  imbedded  in  a  colorless  substance  and  are 
not  attacked  by  hydrochloric  acid.  This  has  weak  refraction  and 
between  crossed  nicols  shows  irregular  illumination  so  that  it  is  not 
improbable  that  it  is  a  glassy  substance  possessing  optical  anomalies 
through  strains.  Rarely,  besides  the  orthorhombic  pyroxene  there  is 
to  be  seen  a  monoclinic  augite  in  single  grains,  with  the  properties  of 
diallage.      The   solid   iron   occurs  in   angular  particles   and  often  in 


294  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

zonal  growths  with  chromite  which  also  occurs  alone,  widely  distributed 
in  the  stone.  The  little  grains  of  the  latter  mineral  appear  brown, 
translucent.  Also  pyrrhotite  (inagnctkies)  is  present  in  considerable 
quantity  and  generally  in  large  individuals.  The  structure  of  the 
whole  stone  indicates  a  cooling  from  a  fused  liquid,  a  view  also  sup- 
ported by  the  porphyritic  crystals  of  chrysolite  and  the  skeletons  of 
bronzite  in  the  colorless  base.  There  is  no  trace  of  breccia  structure 
and  the  occurrence  of  few  well-defined  chondri  gives  no  further  proof. 
As  has  been  often  observed  in  meteorites,  the  whole  stone  has  much 
more  the  character  of  a  suddenly  cooled  mass,  a  character  which  is 
also  indicated  by  the  undulatory  extinction  of  the  chrysolite,  the 
skeleton  growths  of  pyroxene  and  the  sudden  variations  in  composi- 
tion. The  Long  Island  meteorite  in  mineralogical  characters  belongs 
to  the  harzburgites.  If  among  terrestrial  rocks  we  look  for  masses 
which  in  a  structural  and  mineralogical  way  can  be  compared  to  the 
Long  Island  meteorite,  it  will  be  found  that  the  number  is  a.  very 
limited  one  for  the  reason  that  rocks  of  similar  composition  have  suf- 
fered in  most  cases  much  decomposition,  by  which  their  structure 
becomes  indeterminable.  But  at  all  events  it  seems  probable  from 
the  few  observations  on,  for  example,  the  terrestrial  basalts  of  Green- 
land, that  similar  structures  as  they  are  here  observed  and  in  many 
other  meteorites  are  formations  characteristic  of  cooled  rocks  in  which 
silicate  of  magnesia  plays  an  important  part,  and  that  no  grounds  are 
given  for  the  belief  that  formations  of  this  kind  in  any  of  the  terres- 
trial rocks  have  originated  in  any  different  way." 

To  the  observations  of  Weinschenk  there  is  little  of  importance 
to  be  added.  The  crystalline  structure  is  perhaps  hardly  as  promi- 
nent megascopically  as  one  would  judge  from  Weinschenk's  account, 
while  the  chondritic  structure  is  easily  recognized  in  all  the  sections  I 
have  examined.  There  are  numerous  polysomatic  porphyritic  chry- 
solite chondri  and  typical  fibrous  ones  of  enstatite.  One  of  the  latter 
observed  was  2.5  mm.  in  diameter  and  it  is  evidently  not  cut  through 
its  center.  A  black,  seemingly  carbonaceous  matter,  borders  its  outer 
edge.  The  fibers  are  minute  and  lie  in  parallel  groups  extending  in 
various  directions.  A  porphyritic  chrysolite  chondrus  seen  had  a 
diameter  of  1.25  mm.,  a  single  grain  reaching  the  size  of  .025  mm. 
Another  monosomatic  chrysolite  chondrus  seen  was  made  up  of  chrys- 
olite porphyritically  developed  in  glass  and  with  a  distinct  circular 
border  of  chrysolite  all  extinguishing  simultaneously.  This  chondrus 
also  contained  a  large  grain  of  troilite.  The  crystal  outlines  of  the 
chrysolite  individuals  whether  developed  in  the  chondri  or  out  are 
often  well   defined,  the   predominant  habit  being  short  stout  crystals 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington.  295 

bounded  chiefly  by  pinacoids.  The  chromite  more  often  has  a  red 
tone  than  the  brown  described  by  Weinschenk,  its  deep  red  grains 
being  frequently  seen  in  the  sections.  Both  nickel-iron  and  troilite 
grains  sometimes  enclose  small  siliceous  particles  of  what  is  probably 
chrysolite,  indicating  the  latter  to  be  the  earlier  formation. 

As  regards  classification,  the  Long  Island  meteorite  is  classed 
by  Wulfing  as  a  crystalline  spherical  chondrite,  Cck.*  Beaver  Creek, 
Bethlehem,  Lumpkin,  Menow,  Prairie  Dog  Creek,  Richmond  and 
Savtschenskoje  are  other  meteorites  included  in  the  same  class. 

Brezina  classifies  Long  Island  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  Ck.,|  in 
which  group  are  included  Erxleben,  Klein-Wenden,  Kernouve  and 
many  others.  By  Meunier,  Long  Island  is  put  in  Class  34,  Erxlebenite, 
which  includes  monogenic  meteorites  of  fine  grain  made  up  chiefly  of 
chrysolite  and  bronzite  and  containing  visible  grains  of  nickel-iron. 
Bluff,  Erxleben,  Kernouve,  Klein-Wenden,  Menow  and  Pipe  Creek 
are  among  the  other  meteorites  brought  by  Meunier  into  this  class. 
Thus  the  place  of  Long  Island  in  classification  seems  to  be  quite 
generally  agreed  upon.  Differences  can,  of  course,  be  noted  from 
other  meteorites  with  which  it  is  classed,  it  being,  for  instance,  more 
compact  and  of  finer  grain  than  Beaver  Creek  and  containing  much 
less  nickel-iron  than  Pipe  Creek. 

Of  its  well-marked  crystalline  character,  however,  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  nor,  to  my  mind,  of  its  monogenic  origin. 

Absorption  by  a  siliceous  magma,  of  iron  in  preference  to  nickel, 
seems  to  me  to  afford  a  reasonable  explanation  of  the  high  percentage 
of  nickel  in  the  metallic  portion  of  the  stone  shown  in  the  following 
analysis.  Such  a  high  percentage  of  nickel  in  the  nickel-iron  of  stone 
as  compared  with  iron  meteorites  is  common  and  must  be  of  some 
significance.  If  the  meteorite  is  simply  tuffaceous  in  origin,  one  would 
expect  the  nickel-iron  to  have  the  composition  of  that  of  the  iron 
meteorites  uninfluenced  by  the  accompanying  silicates,  but  such  is  not 
the  case. 

Again,  the  outlines  of  the  crystal  individuals  in  the  Long  Island 
meteorite  are  sharply  and  fully  developed  and  are  in  stable  and  mag- 
matic  position  with  reference  to  each  other.  Some  of  them  are  larger 
than  the  individual  chondri  and  yet  exhibit  no  sign  of  wear  or  fracture. 
Accordingly  the  believers  in  the  tuffaceous  character  of  all  stone 
meteorites  would  find,  I  think,  little  to  support  their  views  in  an 
examination  of  this  stone.  I  can  see  no  indications  in  its  structure 
of  any  other  origin  than  one  of  cooling  in  place  from  a  fused  magma, 

*Die  Meteoriten  in  Sammlungen,  Tubingen,  1897,  p.  453. 

fDie  Meteoriten  Sammlung  des  K.K.  Naturhistorische  Hofmuseums,  Wien,  1895,  p.  3^3. 


296  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

and  this  applies  to  the  chondri  as  well  as  to  every  other  part  of  the 
stone.      In  this  view  I  agree  fully  with  Weinschenk  as  quoted  above. 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols, 
Assistant  Curator  of  the  Department,  in  the  laboratory  of  the 
Department. 

For  this  analysis  a  fragment  of  the  meteorite  free  from  visible 
oxidation  was  pulverized  and  dried  at  ioo°  C. 

A  portion  of  3.3863  grams  was  weighed  out  for  the  major  part  of 
the  analysis,  experiment  having  shown  that  better  results  could  be 
obtained  from  portions  of  this  size  than  from  a  larger  portion  of 
about  16  grams.  The  nickel-iron  was  separated  by  Eggertz's  method 
of  solution  in  iodine,  the  stone  being  found  to  be  of  too  compact  a  nature 
to  admit  of  magnetic  separation  even  if  the  iodine  method  is  not  to 
be  preferred  in  any  case.  The  siliceous  portion  remaining  was 
separated  into  two  parts  in  the  usual  manner  by  treatment  with 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid  and  potash.  The  separated  portions  were 
not  weighed  as  it  was  found  that  sufficient  oxidation  occurred  while 
burning  off  the  filter  to  vitiate  the  results,  but  were  analyzed 
separately  and  their  weights  calculated  from  the  analyses.  The 
insoluble  portion  was  fused  with  sodium  carbonate  and  a  small 
amount  of  nitre.  Silica  was  determined  after  the  common  method. 
Nickel  and  cobalt  were  separated  from  the  iron  by  three  precipita- 
tions and  long  digestion  with  ammonia  and  a  large  excess  of 
ammonium  chloride.  Cobalt  was  separated  from  nickel  by  potassium 
nitrite.  Nickel  was  titrated  with  KCn  and  cobalt  weighed  as  sul- 
phate. Magnesium  was  weighed  as  pyrophosphate  and  calcium  as 
oxide  after  an  oxalate  precipitation  in  the  usual  manner.  Chromium 
was  weighed  as  lead  chromate  after  oxidation  by  bromine  in  acetic 
acid  solution.  Phosphorus  was  separated  by  the  acetate  process  and 
weighed  as  molybdate.  Water  above  ioo°C.  was  determined  in  a 
separate  portion  by  Penfield's  method  of  direct  weight.  Sulphur  was 
determined  in  a  separate  portion  as  barium  sulphate.  Iron  and  insolu- 
ble alumina  were  determined  in  a  separate  portion,  the  iron  being  tit- 
rated by  permanganate.  The  alumina  was  weighed  directly,  that  of  the 
soluble  portion  as  alumina,  that  of  the  insoluble  portion  as  phosphate. 
The  alkalies  were  determined  in  a  separate  portion  after  separation 
by  platinic  chloride  as  usual.  They  were  found  to  occur  wholly  in 
the  insoluble  portion.  Ti02  was  present  in  distinct  although 
unweighable  quantities.  A  precipitate  of  ammonium  manganese 
phosphate  also  proved  to  be  not  quite  large  enough  to  weigh.  A 
search  for  copper  gave  only  a  very  faint  brownish  coloration  with 
hydrogen  sulphide  which  was  not  sufficient  to  verify. 


May,  1902.         Meteorite  Studies,   I     Farrington. 

The  analysis  gave  the  following  results: 


297 


Metallic. 

Sol.  in  MCI. 

Insoluble. 

Total. 

SiO 

oil 

26.54 

35-65 

AL(>3  .     . 

,.64 

1.44 

3  08 

FeO      . 

17.19 

5.66 

22.85 

WgO     . 

8.99 

13  75 

22.74 

CaO 

0.02 

1  38 

I.40 

Na,0    . 

O.OO 

0.25 

O.25 

K,0 

* 

0  OO 

0.03 

O.03 

11.'  I  above  100  ° 

1.52 

.... 

I    52 

TH  >,     . 

Tr. 

Tr. 

P   . 

O  036 

0.024 

0  060 

s   . 

I  .QOO 

1  <po 

Cr,03    . 

0.34 

5  99 

6-33 

NiO 

• 

0.089 

0  68 

0.769 

CoO 

0.013 

0.047 

0.060 

MnO 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Fe 

2.60 

2.60 

Ni 

0.67 

0.67 

Co 

0.036 

0.036 

0  for  Limonite 

0.90 

0.00 

.3-3' 

41-75    ' 

55-79 

100.85 

0 = S   .       .       .       .           . . . . 

r       O.95 

0.95 

LessO=P    .... 

0  06 

0.04 

0. 10 

3-3i 

40.74 

55-75 

99.80 

The  most  striking  feature  of  the  composition  revealed  by  this 
analysis  is  the  high  percentage  of  Cr203.  I  know  of  no  other 
meteorite  which  shows  so  high  a  percentage,  more  than  1  per  cent, 
being  rare.  Most  of  this  was  found  in  the  insoluble  portion  and  may 
hence  be  referred  to  chromite,  especially  as  examination  of  sections 
with  the  microscope  shows  a  large  quantity  of  the  red  translucent 
grains  which  indicate  that  mineral.  It  may  be  worthy  of  remark, 
however,  that  the  chromium  mineral  of  the  meteorite  was  more  easily 
decomposed  than  ordinary  chromite.  Although  left  as  an  insoluble 
residue  ,after  fusion  with  sodium  carbonate,  it  went  into  solution  on 
treatment  with  sulphuric  acid  without  requiring  a  separate  fusion  with 
acid  sulphate  of  potash.  The  percentage  of  Cr2Os  noted  in  the 
soluble  portion  of  the  meteorite  may  probably  be  regarded  as  a  con- 
stituent of  the  chrysolite,  although  its  quantity  here  is  above  the 
average. 

The  quantity  of  A1.203,  shown  in  the  soluble  portion  of  the 
above    analysis,   is    unusually  high    and    is    difficult   to   account   for. 


298 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.   I. 


although  it  has  not  infrequently  been  reported  by  other  analysts  as  a 
constituent  of  the  soluble  portion  of  meteorites. 

Grouping  the  compounds  of  the  above  analysis  which  are  known 
to  enter  into  the  composition  of  nickel-iron,  chrysolite  and  bronzite, 
the  following  may  be  deduced  as  the  probable  composition  of  these 
three  ingredients  : 


COMPOSITION    OF   NICKEL-IRON. 


Fe 
Ni. 
Co. 


Per  Cent. 

78.65 

20.26 

I  .09 

IOO.OO 


COMPOSITION   OF  SOLUBLE    SILICATES   (CHIEFLY    CHRYSOLITE). 

Per  Cent. 


Si02 

MgO 
FeO 
A120. 
Cr20, 
CaO  ' 


36.88 

36.40 

18.62 

6.64 

1.38 

0.08 


Ratio  of  2RO:Si02  :  :  1.9997  :  1. 


COMPOSITION   OF   INSOLUBLE   SILICATES   (CHIEFLY    BRONZITE   AND 

MONOCLINIC   PYROXENES). 

Per  Cent. 

Si02 56.52 

A1203 3.07 

FeO   ' 6.05 

MgO 29.28 

CaO 2.94 

CoO .        .        .0.10 

NiO ■    1.45 

Na20 0.53 

K.,0 0.06 


100.00 


Ratio  of  RO  :  Si02  :  :  1:1.0148. 

To  place  the  alkalies  in  the  pyroxenes,  as  is  here  done,  is  con- 
trary to  the  usual  custom,  it  being  common  to  assume  that  they  are 
present  as  feldspars.  But  as  no  feldspars  could  be  detected  in  the 
slides  and  as  alkalies  are  known  to  enter  into  the  composition  of 
pyroxenes  in  small  amount,  the  conclusion  here  adopted  seems  the 
more  reasonable  one.  No  attempt  was  made  to  differentiate  the  two 
pyroxenes  chemically,  as  I  know  of  no  guide  for  this.  The  amount 
of  monoclinic  pyroxene  which  can  be  seen  in  sections  is  very  small, 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  299 

so  that  the  above  can  practically  be  regarded  as  bronzite.  It  may 
seriously  be  questioned,  however,  whether  digestion  in  hydrochloric 
acid  can  be  relied  upon  to  wholly  separate  the  chrysolite  and  bronzite, 
for  with  longer  digestion  some  of  the  bronzite  is  apt  to  go  into  solu- 
tion, or,  with  shorter  treatment,  some  of  the  chrysolite  may  not  be 
decomposed.  Further  investigation  of  this  subject  should  be~made. 
Taking  all  the  probable  ingredient  minerals  of  the  rock  into  con- 
sideration, the  following  is  perhaps  the  best  estimate  that  can  at 
present  be  made  as  to  its  probable  composition: 

Per  Cent 
Bronzite  and  Monoclinic  Pyroxenes         ....      47-05 

Chrysolite 24.74 

Limonite 10.50 

Chromite 8.83 

Troilite 5.24 

Schreibersite 0.23 

Nickel-Iron 3.31 

Oxides  of  Cobalt  and  Nickel     .         .      '  .         .         .         .        o.  10 

100.00 

Here  the  limonite  is  probably  of  secondary  or  terrestrial  origin 
and  should  perhaps  be  divided  up  about  equally  between  the  nickel- 
iron  and  troilite  in  estimating  the  pre-terrestrial  composition  of  the 
rock.  The  composition  as  shown  above  of  about  one-half  bronzite 
accords  well  with  what  one  can  observe  after  treating  a  section  with 
hydrochloric  acid  so  as  to  dissolve  out  the  chrysolite,  for  an  exten- 
sive framework  made  up  of  bronzite  then  remains.  The  high  per- 
centage of  chromite  indicated  by  the  analysis  is  also  in  accordance 
with  observations  made  with  the  microscope. 

The  resemblance  of  the  meteorite  to  terrestrial  peridotites  is, 
as  noted  by  Weinschenk,  very  marked,  and  the  constant  association 
both  in  terrestrial  and  extra-terrestrial  regions  of  the  elements  and 
minerals  which  compose  rocks  of  this  class  indicates  laws  of  asso- 
ciation which  are  not  yet  comprehended. 


SUMMARY. 


1.  The  Long  Island  meteorite  is  a  single  isolated  fall  and  fell  as 
a  single  stone. 

2.  It  is  the  largest  single  stone  meteorite  known. 

3.  It  is  traversed  by  planes  resembling  joint   planes  which  are' 
pre-terrestrial  in  their  origin. 


300  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

4.  In  structure  it  belongs  to  the  class  of  crystalline  chondrites. 

5.  In  chemical  composition  it  is  made  up  chiefly  of  oxides  of 
silicon,  iron,  magnesium  and  chromium,  with  small  percentages  of 
iron,  nickel,  sulphur  and  minor  constituents. 

6.  Its  mineralogical  composition  may  be  estimated  as  47% 
bronzite  and  some  monoclinic  pyroxene,  25%  chrysolite,  9%  chro- 
mite,  and  the  remainder  nickel-iron,  troilite  and  schreibersite  or  alter- 
ation products  of  these.  The  content  of  chromite  is  remarkable  and 
the  highest  yet  reported  in  meteorites. 


NESS  COUNTY,  KANSAS. 


MUSEUM  No.  Me.  490. 


Of  this  fall  the  Museum  possesses  one  small  complete  individual 
having  a  weight  of  85  grams.  This  aerolite  in  general  form  is  wedge- 
shaped  with  angles  but  little  rounded.  Except  for  one  fractured  sur- 
face it  is  covered  with  a  black  crust  or  one  which  was  undoubtedly 
originally  all  black,  but  through  weathering  has  taken  on  in  places  a 
rusty  brown  appearance.  The  crusted  surface  is  smooth  but  uneven, 
the  irregularities  suggesting  pitting,  although  the  depressions  are  not 
deep  enough  to  produce  pits  of  definite  form.  On  making  a  section 
through  the  stone  and  polishing  the  surface  thus  exposed,  the  crust 
appears  as  a  distinct  black  border  having  a  thickness  of  about  ^  mm., 
in  contrast  to  the  dark  brown  color  of  the  interior  of  the  stone.  In 
texture  the  crust  does  not  differ  noticeably  from  the  interior,  the  po- 
rosity of  many  meteorite  crusts  not  being  in  evidence.  The  dark 
brown  color  of  the  interior  of  the  stone  is  doubtless  largely  a  discolor- 
ation due  to  weathering.  So  completely  has  this  discoloration 
penetrated  the  stone  that  it  is  impossible  to  find  a  place  where 
the  probable  original  color  remains.  The  discoloration  also  makes 
it  impossible  to  make  out  much  regarding  the  structure  of  the 
stone  megascopically,  chondri  not  being  visible  on  a  polished  surface. 
Metallic  grains  are  numerous  over  the  polished  surface.  They  are 
for  the  most  part  of  small  size,  the  largest  that  I  have  noticed  not 
being  over  1  mm.  in  diameter.  They  consist  both  of  nickel-iron  and 
troilite,  the  grains  of  the  latter  being  distinguished  by  their  yellow 
color  and  by  not  taking  on  a  deposit  of  copper  when  immersed  in 
copper  sulphate.  These  troilite  grains  are  quite  as  numerous  as  the 
grains  of  nickel-iron,  but  never  as  large. 

In  texture  the  stone  is   compact   but   it  is  only   fairly   coherent, 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  301 

breaking  rather  easily  with  a  blow  of  a  hammer.  The  specific  gravity 
of  the  whole  aerolite  of  74  grams  taken  with  the  balance  at  2i°C.  was 
found  to  be  3.504.  This  value  is  of  course  slightly  affected  by  the 
crust  of  the  stone,  but  as  a  fragment  without  crust  weighing  3.4  grams 
gave  the  same  result  the  error  from  this  cause  must  be  very  small. 

Under  the  microscope  the  rock  is  seen  to  be  a  crystalline  aggre- 
gate made  up  chiefly  of  grains  of  chrysolite,  bronzite,  nickel-iron  and 
troilite.  Here  and  there  are  traces  of  a  structure  which  may  indicate 
chondri  or  fragments  of  them,  but  such  occurrences  are  rare.  The 
chondrus-like  structures  lack  definite  outline  and  if  of  chondritic 
origin  can  only  be  considered  fragments.  One  such  fragment  seen 
consists  of  alternate  narrow  lamellae  of  about  equal  width,  of  chryso- 
lite and  glass.  In  another  the  lamella?  of  chrysolite  are  broader  and 
the  mass  has  a  border  of  chrysolite.  Another  suggests  a  portion  of  a. 
polysomatic  chrysolite  chondrus.  The  grain  of  the  stone  as  a 
whole  is  coarse,  many  of  the  chrysolite  individuals  reaching 
diameters  of  0.2  to  0.4  millimeters.  These  incline  to  a  porphyritic 
development,  although  the  whole  rock  is  crystalline.  The  chryso- 
lite individuals  are  in  general  considerably  seamed  and  fissured 
and  stained  brown  from  the  penetration  of  iron  rust.  Where  not 
stained  they  are  colorless  except  for  scattered  minute  black  inclu- 
sions which  occur  in  considerable  quantity.  They  occasionally 
have  prismatic  outlines  but  are  more  often  rounded  or  fragmental. 
Elongated  fibers  alternating  with  glassy  or  half-glassy  lamella?  also 
occur  as  previously  noted. 

A  few  well-marked  aggregations  of  black,  probably  carbonaceous 
matter,  occur  mixed  in  a  glassy  or  half-glassy  ground  mass,  the  whole 
having  an  approximately  circular  outline,  and  reaching  in  one  case 
0.5  mm.  in  diameter.  Here  again  a  chondritic  form  is  suggested 
but  cannot  be  positively  discerned.  The  carbonaceous  matter  is  made 
up  of  smaller  black  particles  not  different  from  those  included  in  the 
large  chrysolite  individuals. 

The  bronzite  usually  occurs  in  the  typical  fibrous  development. 
It  is  colorless  to  yellow,  the  latter  perhaps  being  due  to  iron  stain. 

Quite  frequently  large  grains  of  an  isotropic  mineral  appear  which 
I  cannot  yet  refer  to  any  species  with  which  I  am  familiar.  The  grains 
are  marked  by  large  size  and  freedom  from  inclusions  and  cracks  such 
as  characterize  the  other  silicates  of  the  meteorite.  One  grain  seen 
has  0.7  sq.  mm.  of  surface,  another  0.5  sq.  mm.,  while  the  remainder 
are  smaller.  The  outline  of  the  grains  is  irregular  and  separated  from 
the  remaining  constituents.  Good  cleavage  is  shown  in  some  of  the 
grains  and  is  apparently  cubic,  although  in  one  individual  the  planes 


302  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

meet  at  angles  of  500.  The  mineral  is  colorless  inclining  to  a  pink 
tinge.  Relief  and  index  of  refraction  about  like  that  of  chrysolite. 
I  hope  to  give  the  mineral  further  investigation  when  a  larger  quantity 
is  available. 

The  metallic  grains  (nickel-iron  and  troilite)  have  more  or  less 
angular  outlines  and  incline  toward  elongated  forms.  The  nickel- 
iron  and  troilite  are  usually  intimately  joined,  although  grains  of  each 
mineral  also  occur  alone.  The  troilite,  readily  recognized  by  its 
bronze  yellow  color,  is  more  abundant  than  the  nickel-iron. 

A  few  opaque  grains  of  black  color  closely  associated  with  the 
nickel-iron  and  troilite  are  probably  to  be  referred  to  chromite.  Be- 
sides these,  translucent  grains  with  the  typical  red  color  of  chromite 
are  numerous,  and  one  observed  has  a  square  outline  showing  it  to  be 
a  section  either  of  an  octahedral  or  cubic  crystal.  The  chromite 
always  occurs  united  to  the  other  opaque  minerals.  The  grains  of 
nickel-iron  and  troilite  often  enclose  grains  of  silicates  of  small  size. 

On  the  whole  the  Ness  County  meteorite  should  probably  be 
classed  as  a  crystalline  chondrite  or  Meunier's  erxlebenite,  although 
its  chondritic  nature  is  somewhat  doubtful. 

As  is  probably  generally  known,  a  number  of  small  aerolites 
quite  similar  to  the  one  here  described  have  been  found  in  Ness 
County.  The  first  of  these  found  was  briefly  described  by  Henry  L. 
Ward.*  Aside  from  this  description  and  mention  of  the  stones  in 
one  or  two  catalogues,  no  further  account  of  them  seems  to  have  been 
published.  Since  Preston  has  suggested,  however, f  that  the  Ness 
County  stones  may  belong  to  the  same  fall  with  Kansada,  Jerome, 
Prairie  Dog  Creek  and  Long  Island,  a  knowledge  of  them  is  desirable 
as  a  ground  of  investigating  the  suggestion.  What  additional  facts 
I  have  been  able  to  gain  regarding  the  Ness  County  stones  in  general 
have  been  kindly  given  me  by  Mr.  Henry  L.  Ward.  In  all  at  least 
twenty-five  small  aerolites  have  been  found  in  Ness  County*  exclusive 
of  Kansada.  In  weight  they  range,  so  far  as  Mr.  Ward  has  been 
able  to  record  them,  from  34  to  3,467  grams,  the  total  weight  being 
i7>oii  grams.  This  does  not  represent  the  entire  amount,  since  of 
some  stones  Mr.  Ward  was  unable  to  obtain  exact  record,  but  at  least 
this  amount  has  been  found.  The  majority  of  these,  so  far  as  their 
place  of  find  has  been  recorded,  have  come  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Franklinville,  a  village  about  five  miles  south  of  Ness  City.  The 
first  one  described  by  Mr.  Ward,  however,  came  from  a  place  nearly 
twenty  miles  to  the  east  of   Franklinville,   the  exact  locality   being 

*Amer.  Jour,  of  Science,  4th  ser.,  vol.  7,  p.  233. 
tAmer.  Jour,  of  Science,  4th  ser.,  vol.  9,  p.  112. 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  303 

given  by  Mr.  Ward  as  Section  2,  Township  20  S. ,  Range  21  W. 
The  village  of  Wellmanville  is  not  far  from  this  locality  and  this 
aerolite  may  therefore  be  called  the  Wellmanville  stone. 

For  investigating  Preston's  hypothesis  two  lines  of  inquiry  may 
be  followed;  (1)  The  probable  course  of  the  meteor  and  (2)  the  con- 
stitution and  structure  of  the  stones. 

(1)  The  probable  course  of  the  meteor:  Starting  from  Franklin- 
ville  and  going  in  a  general  northwest  direction  the  Kansada  and 
Jerome  stones  will  be  found  nearly  in  the  same  line  at  distances  of 
seventeen  miles  to  Kansada  and  thirteen  miles  further  on  to  the 
locality  of  the-  Jerome  meteorite.*  Thirty  miles  further  on  in 
the  same  line  appears  the  Oakley  find.  (See  Plate  XLV.)  That 
a  meteor  may  have  moved  along  this  line  dropping  fragments 
as  it  passed  is  conceivable,  although  no  observed  shower  has 
a  greater  length  of  distribution  than  sixteen  miles.  If  these 
stones  are  from  a  single  meteor  the  direction  of  movement  was 
undoubtedly  from  southeast  to  northwest  rather  than  the  reverse, 
since  the  smaller  fragments  would  undoubtedly  fall  first. f  The 
Wellmanville  stone  is  somewhat  eccentric  to  this  general  course 
but  it  is  quite  conceivable  that  it  may  have  come  from  the  same 
meteor  so  far  as  the  latter's  course  is  concerned.  This  would  give  a 
length  of  distribution  of  forty-six  miles,  or,  if  the  Oakley  stone  is 
included,  of  eighty-six  miles.  The  Long  Island  and  Prairie  Dog 
Creek  meteorites  evidently  lie  far  outside  of  this  course,  although  the 
exact  location  of  the  Prairie  Dog  Creek  find  seems  not  to  be  recorded. 
Brezina  gives  it|  as  39°3o'  N.,  99°o'  W.,  on  Sappa  Creek,  Decatur 
County,  Kansas,  which  is  an  utterly  impossible  location.  However, 
Prairie  Dog  Creek,  Decatur  County,  may  be  assumed  to  be  its  approx- 
imate place  of  find.  The  Long  Island  and  Prairie  Dog  Creek  locations 
form  then,  as  shown  by  Preston,  in  connection  with  the  Jerome  and 
Ness  County  stones,  a  parallelogram  117  miles  long  by  35  miles 
broad.  This  parallelogram  extends  in  a  north-northeast  direction,  a 
course  at  about  right  angles  to   that  which  I  have  just  traced.      It  is 

*  Dana,  as  quoted  by  Washington,  states  that  the  Jerome  meteorite  was  found  on  the  Smoky 
Hill  River  fifteen  miles  east  of  Jerome.— Amer.  Jour,  of  Science,  4th  ser.,  vol.  5,  p.  447. 

tl  do  not  know  that  attention  has  been  called  before  to  this  method  of  deducing  a  meteor's 
course,  but  it  seems  evident  as  a  matter  of  reasoning  that  the  smaller  fragments  would  reach  the 
ground  first  since  the  greater  momentum  possessed  by  the  larger  fragments  would  carry  them 
farther.  Meunier  is  of  the  opposite  opinion  (Meteorites,  p.  424),  but  as  a  matter  of  record  in  all 
showers  of  which  I  have  been  able  to  obtain  statistics  the  larger  stones  are  found  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  meteor's  path.  This  was  the  case  at  New  Concord,  Orgueil,  Lanc6  and  Butsura.  For 
the  purpose  of  gaining  further  evidence  on  this  point  it  is  quite  desirable  that  observers  should  in 
the  future  note  .the  weight  of  the  stones  in  connection  with  their  location  when  picked  up  after  a 
meteoric  fall. 

J  Die  Meteoriten  Sammlung,  etc.,  Wien,  May  1895,  p.  359. 


304  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

over  this  area  that  Preston  suggests  a  meteoric  shower  might  have 
extended.  But  an  extension  of  a  shower  over  an  area  so  large,  espe- 
cially in  width,  would  be  quite  unprecedented  so  far  as  present  obser- 
vations go.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  from  a  consideration  of 
the  probable  paths,  that  Long  Island  and  Prairie  Dog  Creek  must  be 
regarded  as  of  separate  origin  from  Ness  County,  Kansada,  Jerome 
and  Oakley,  but  that  the  four  latter  may,  if  only  the  paths  are  taken 
into  consideration,  belong  to  the  same  fall. 

(2)  The  constitution  and  structure  of  the  stones:  On  this  point, 
unfortunately,  little  evidence  is  as  yet  at  hand.  As  Preston  remarks, 
the  six  finds  are  megascopically  very  similar.  They  arev  all  about 
equally  oxidized  and  coated  with  carbonate  of  lime,  indicating  that 
they  have  lain  about  the  same  length  of  time  in  the  soil,  and  are  all  of 
compact  texture  and  possess  about  the  same  quantity  of  metallic 
grains  except  Oakley,  which  contains  much  more  metal  than  the 
others.  The  crust  of  the  large  stones  is,  however,  thin  and  dark- 
brown  in  color  while  that  of  the  small  stones  (Ness  County)  is,  except 
Wellmanville,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  learn,  thick  and  black.  This 
would  indicate  some  difference  in  the  character  of  the  stones,  but  per- 
haps not  sufficient  to  warrant  considering  them  different  falls. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  structure,  Weinschenk  states  that 
Prairie  Dog  Creek  is  sharply  distinguished  from  Long  Island*,  for  in 
Prairie  Dog  Creek  the  chondri  are  very  numerous  and  make  up  the 
greater  part  of  the  stone,  while  in  Long  Island  the  chondri  are  obscure 
and  the  structure  has  a  marked  crystalline  character.  Taking  into 
consideration,  therefore,  their  distance  from  the  other  finds  and  their 
differences  from  each  other,  there  seems  to  be  good  reason  for  regard- 
ing Prairie  Dog  Creek  and  Long  Island  as  separate  single  falls. 
Among  the  remaining  four,  Oakley,  Jerome,  Kansada  and  Franklin- 
ville,  to  which  should  perhaps  be  added  Wellmanville  as  distinguished 
from  Franklinville,  Oakley  seems  on  the  whole  to  possess  a  distin- 
guishing character  in  its  larger  quantity  of  metal.  According  to 
Preston's  determination  it  contains  14.44%  °f  rnetalf,  presumably 
nickel-iron,  while  the  percentage  of  metal  (nickel-iron)  in  Jerome  is, 
according  to  Washingtonf,  only  4.25%.  Oakley  is  also  of  coarser 
grain  and  possesses  more  bronzite  than  Ness  County,  as  I  have  been 
able  to  learn  by  comparing  microscopic  sections. 

Through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Washington  I  have  also  been 
enabled  to  compare  a  section  of  the  Jerome  meteorite  with  sections  of 
Oakley  and  Ness  County.  Considerable  differences  are  thus  brought  to 
light  which  make  it  very  improbable  that  Jerome  belongs  to  either  of  the 

♦Tschermak's  Min.  u.  Petr.  Mitth.  vol.  14,  p.  474. 
\Loc.  cit. 


r  uH  10  MO:T*i- 


Explanation   of  Plate  XLV. 


Map  showing  location  of  meteorite  finds  in  counties  of  northwestern  Kansas. 
X  marks  location  of  finds.    That  of  Prairie  Dog  Creek  is  approximate  only. 


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LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URSA 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington.  305 

other  falls.  Its  structure  is  much  more  highly  chondritic  than  that  of 
either  of  the  above,  and  the  peculiarities  of  the  chondri,  which  have 
been  so  fully  described  by  Washington  that  they  need  not  here  be  again 
enumerated,  render  them  unique.  There  remain  then  only  Kansada 
and  Wellmanville  to  be  compared  as  to  structure  with  the  other 
finds.  Regarding  these  two,  however,  no  further  data  can  at 
present  be  obtained.  No  details  as  to  their  intimate  structure  have 
been  published  and  I  do  not  know  the  present  whereabouts  of  the 
stones.  It  would  not  be  surprising,  when  an  opportunity  for  com- 
parison presents  itself,  to  find  that  Kansada  could  with  good  reason 
be  connected  with  either  Jerome  or  Franklinville  and  Wellmanville 
with  Franklinville.  Still,  each  might  prove  to  be  a  separate  fall,  for 
as  may  be  noted,  there  is  no  inherent  improbability  in  supposing  falls 
to  take  place  within  a  short  distance  of  each  other  at  different  times. 
The  falls  of  Homestead  and  Hartford,  Iowa,  were,  for  instance, 
separated  only  about  thirty  miles  and  the  character  of  the  stones  was 
not  very  different.  The  interval  of  time  was  twenty-eight  years. 
Castine  and  Searsmont  were  separated  by  only  about  twenty  miles  in 
distance  and  twenty-three  years  in  time.  These  are  quite  similar 
stones.  The  Estherville  and  Forest  City  falls  were  distant  not  over 
sixty  miles  from  each  other  and  took  place  within  an  interval  of  eleven 
years.  Here,  however,  the  character  of  the  stones  was  quite  different. 
Doubtless  many  other  instances  of  falls  approaching  near  each  other 
in  space  and  time  could  be  found  by  searching.  The  citing  of  even 
the  above  is,  however,  sufficient  to  lead  one  to  the  conviction  that 
classing  together  into  one  fall  meteorites  found  in  different  localities 
is  a  work  that  should  be  performed  with  caution. 


TOLUCA  (LOS  REYES),  MEXICO,  D.  F. 


MUSEUM  No.  Me.  454. 


This  meteorite  was  obtained  for  the  Museum  in  the  spring  of 
1897  from  Mr.  E.  O.  Matthews  of  the  City  of  Mexico.  It  was  brought 
him  by  some  native  Mexicans  or  peons  who  reported  that  they  had 
found  it  some  months  before,  at  Los  Reyes,  while  ploughing.  This  is 
all  the  evidence  obtainable  regarding  the  manner  of  its  discovery. 
The  meteorite  is  of  the  metallic  variety  (aerosiderite)  and  is  a  complete 
individual.  Its  weight  entire  is  43  pounds  (19.5  kilos).  Its  form 
(illustrated  by  the  accompanying  cuts,  Plate  XLVI),  is  roughly  that  of 
a  steep  triangular  pyramid  whose  greatest  length  is  24  cm.  (9^  inches), 
and  greatest  width  15  cm.  (6  inches).     The  sides  of  the  pyramid  are 


306  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

deeply  hollowed  and  rounded  so  that  the  contours  of  the  mass  are  curved, 
and  at  one  of  the  edges  it  extends  out  in  the  form  of  a  thin  wing.  On 
one  side  near  the  base  are  two  especially  deep  and  well-marked  pits  side 
by  side,  one  somewhat  conical  in  shape,  the  other  broadly  concave. 
The  diameter  of  the  conical  pit  is  about  45  mm.  (1^  inches)  and  its 
depth  20  mm.  (^  of  an  inch).  The  concave  pit  is  about  63  mm.  (2^ 
inches)  in  diameter  and  12  mm.  (}4  of  an  inch)  deep.  These  pits 
(fully  shown  in  Plate  XLVI)  probably  mark  areas  of  schreiber- 
site  which  were  fused  out  during  the  passage  of  the  meteorite  to  the 
earth.  The  surface  of  the  meteorite  is  of  a  uniform  dark  brown  color 
from  oxidation,  but  the  depth  to  which  oxidation  has  penetrated  is 
very  slight,  as  the  merest  scratch  with  a  file  reveals  the  nickel-white 
color  of  the  interior.  The  meteorite  is  not  of  the  "  sweating"  variety 
and  exhibits  no  tendency  to  further  alteration. 


Fig.  4.    Etched  surface  of  Toluca  (Los  Reyes)  meteorite,  showing  character  of 
Widmanstfttten  figures.     X  £. 

Its  substance  is  tough  and  malleable  to  a  high  degree.  It  is 
medium  hard,  cutting  with  some  difficulty  with  a  hack-saw.  It  takes 
a  good  polish,  a  polished  surface  being  of  silver-white  to  nickel-white 
color.     Relative  to  copper  sulphate  the  meteorite  is  active. 

The  iron  has  not  been  sliced,  but  a  triangular  area  63  mm.  x  25  mm. 
(2j4  inches  x  1  inch)  was  made  smooth  and  etched  with  nitric  acid. 
The  surface  etched  easily  and  exhibited  well-marked  Widmanstatten 
figures  which  are  shown  in  Fig.  4.  Two  other  smaller  surfaces  were 
also  etched  on  other  portions  of  the  meteorite.  The  figures  of  the 
meteorite  show  that  it  is  to  be  classed  with  Brezina's  group  46 
(Octahedrite  with  lamellae  of  medium  width)  or  Meunier's  group  7 
(Arvaite).       The   bands  of  the   etching   figures   are    not  of  uniform 


.IVJX    3T*J^    10    HOTA»UJ9x3 


A 


Front  and  side  views  of  Toluca  (Los  Reyes)  meteorite.     X|£. 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


GEOLOGY,    PL.   XLVI. 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

URUAKA 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  307 

width  nor  do  they  extend  continuously  for  any  great  distance.  They 
are  of  the  type  described  by  German  writers  as  **  wulstige"  (swollen). 
The  longest  one  on  the  etched  surface  figured  accompanying  is  n 
mm.  (54)  of  an  inch  in  length  and  its  contour  is  very  irregular.  Only 
the  two  alloys  kamacite  and  tsenite  seem  to  be  present.  The  former 
is  iron  gray  in  color  and  occasionally  has  a  well-marked  granular 
structure.  The  latter,  filling  the  areas  between  the  kamacite  bands,  is 
now  more  or  less  ribbon-like  and  now  occurs  in  curvilinear  areas. 
Much  of  it  appears  connected  through  the  section,  giving  the  impres- 
sion of  a  network  in  which  the  kamacite  is  imbedded.  It  shades  to  a 
bronze  color  as  contrasted  with  the  iron  gray  of  the  kamacite  and  is 
left  standing  in  relief  by  the  etching.  Under  the  lens  its  surface 
appears  very  rough,  the  etching  of  the  acid  acting  upon  it  more  irreg- 
ularly than  upon  the  kamacite.  The  only  other  mineral  appearing  in 
abundance  in  the  meteorite  is  schreibersite,  which  occurs  in  long 
narrow  bands  or  in  irregular  star-like  forms.  These  areas  are 
bounded  by  kamacite  (swathing  kamacite).  Decomposition  has  taken 
place  usually  along  the  schreibersite  bands,  and  these  decomposed 
areas  appear  as  dark  marks  on  the  etched  surface. 

Troilite  seems  to  be  almost  entirely  absent  from  the  meteorite. 
Only  two  minute  nodules  are  to  be  seen  on  the  surfaces  which  have 
been  etched  and  the  percentage  of  sulphur  obtained  by  analysis  cor- 
responds to  a  content  of  only  0.07%.  The  presence  of  cohenite  is 
indicated  by  the  carbon  found  by  analysis,  but  it  was  not  observed  on 
the  etched  surfaces. 

An  analysis  of  the  meteorite  was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols, 
the  methods  employed  being  briefly  as  [follows:  Material  for  the 
analysis  was  secured  by  a  boring  made  with  a  ^-inch  drill.  The 
amount  of  substance  used  was  2.4353  grams.  In  order  to  prevent 
loss  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  the  borings  were  placed  in  a  flask 
and  first  treated  with  fuming  nitric  acid,  to  which  they  remained  pas- 
sive, and  then  hydrochloric  acid  was  gradually  added  cold  until  solu- 
tion was  complete.  Sulphur  was  weighed  as  barium  sulphate.  Phos- 
phorus was  determined  by  Eggertz's  method  as  phosphomolybdate, 
the  quantity  being  too  small  to  allow  of  a  magnesium  pyrophosphate 
determination.  Iron  was  separated  by  one  ammonia  and  three  basic 
acetate  and  one  final  ammonia  precipitation.  Manganese  was  sepa- 
rated by  the  sodium  acetate  method.  Copper,  cobalt  and  nickel  were" 
precipitated  as  sulphides  in  acetic  acid  solution,  cobalt  and  nickel 
separated  by  potassium  nitrite  and  all  weighed  from  electrolytic  depo- 
sition. Carbon  was  determined  in  an  independent  sample  by  oxida- 
tion in  chromic  acid  after  the  method  described  by  Blair.* 

♦The  Chemical  Analysis  of  Iron,  3rd  edition,  p.  136. 


3o8 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 


The  analysis  gave  the  following  results: 


Fe 

Ni 

Co 

Cu 

Mn 

P 

C 

S 

Si 

Insol. 


00.56 
7.71 
1.07 
0.14 

Trace 
0.24 
0.0 1 
0.025 
0.006 
0.09 

99.85 


Omitting  silicon  and  insoluble  matter  the  analysis   indicates  that 
the  meteorite  has  the  following  mineralogical  composition: 

Nickel-iron  (Fe,  Ni,  Co,  Cu,  Mn.) 97.98 

Schreibersite 1.55 

Cohenite 0.15 

Troilite 0.07 

9975 

As  the  locality  where  the  meteorite  was  found  may  be  said  in  a 
certain  sense  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Toluca,  it  becomes  an  important 
question  from  the  standpoint  of  the  collector  to  determine  whether 
the  specimen  is  to  be  regarded  a  portion  of  the  Toluca  fall.  Los 
Reyes  is  about  forty  miles  (sixty-two  kilometers)  in  a  direct  line  east 
of  Toluca.  It  is  the  little  station  at  the  southern  end  of  Lake  Tex- 
coco  where  the  Morelos  division  of  the  Interoceanic  Railway  joins 
the  main  line,  about  twelve  miles  southeast  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 
On  the  same  line  of  railroad  twenty-five  miles  from  the  City  of  Mex- 
ico is  the  town  of  Ameca-Ameca,  where  the  find  of  another  iron  mete- 
orite has  been  reported  by  Castillo.*  Castillo  classes  this  iron  with 
the  Toluca  meteorites,!  and  describes  the  "zone"  of  Toluca  mete- 
orites as  extending  from  Ameca-Ameca  on  the  east  to  Xiquipilco  in 
the  valley  of  Toluca  [on  the  west].  If  Castillo  is  right  in  this  conclu- 
sion the  Los  Reyes  meteorite  comes  within  this  zone,  as  Los  Reyes 
is  some  fifteen  miles  (twenty-three  kilometers)  nearer  Toluca  than 
Ameca-Ameca.  Castillo  unfortunately  gives  no  description  of  the 
'Ameca-Ameca  meteorite  by  which  its  resemblance  or  otherwise  to 
the  known  specimens  from  Toluca  can  be  determined.  He  simply 
describes  it  as  a  "  small  nodule  of  meteoric  iron  found  in  the  village  [of 


♦Catalogue  Descriptif  des  Meteorites  du  Mexique,  Paris,  1889,  p.  3. 
t  Op.  cit.,  p.  11. 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington.  309 

that  name]  and  now  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico.  " 
If  it  is  correct  thus  to  group  the  Ameca-Ameca  meteorite  (and  hence 
Los  Reyes)  with  Toluca,  a  distribution  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles  at  least 
must  be  conceded  to  this  fall,  Ixtlahuaca  and  Xiquipilco,  the  two  local- 
ities in  the  Valley  of  Toluca  where  many  of  the  Toluca  meteorites  are 
found,  being  ten  miles  farther  from  Ameca-Ameca  than  Toluca  itself. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Fletcher,  after  a  careful  study  of  Mexican 
meteorites  with  especial  regard  to  the  supposed  occurrence  of  wide- 
spread meteoritic  showers,*  reached  a  negative  conclusion  as  regards 
the  wide  extent  of  such  showers,  this  opinion  being  similar  to  one  in 
d  to  such  showers  in  general  which  he  had  expressed  in  an  earlier 
paper. f  According  to  Fletcher  the  distribution  of  the  Toluca  meteor- 
ites as  they  have  been  reported  from  J  localities  distant  from  Toluca 
was  probably  due  to  human  agency.  With  reference  to  the  Ameca- 
Ameca  meteorite  he  states  that  "Ameca-Ameca  is  a  town  where  there 
arc  now  iron  foundries,  and  where  ploughs,  castings,  smoothing  irons, 
mill  wheels  and  other  articles  are  manufactured,"  to  show  that  Toluca 
iron  might  have  been  carried  there  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
With  regard  to  this  report  of  the  state  of  manufacturing  enterprises 
in  Ameca-Ameca  I  fear  that  the  distinguished  authority  of  the  British 
Museum  has  been  misinformed,  for  I  have  spent  weary  days  in  the 
town  without  having  learned  of  the  existence  of  such  industry. 

The  fact  brought  out  by  Fletcher  to  the  effect  that  no  known 
meteorite  shower  has  a  greater  distribution  than  sixteen  miles  is  a 
more  important  one  in  the  study  of  this  case,  and  the  evidence  at  hand 
in  this  instance  is  hardly  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  assert  that  the 
Toluca  shower  had  a  wider  extent. 

The  meteorite  may  of  course  have  reached  Los  Reyes  by  the 
agency  of  man,  but  on  the  whole  the  indications  are  that  it  fell  where 
it  was  found.  The  statements  of  the  finders  were  plain  and  simple, 
the  meteorite  bears  no  marks  showing  any  attempt  to  use  it  for  eco- 
nomic purposes,  and  the  price  at  which  it  was  purchased  was  lower 
than  any  one  who  had  brought  it  from  Toluca  would  probably  have  sold 
it  for.  If  the  iron  fell  where  it  was  found  it  is  important  to  determine 
whether  it  was  an  independent  fall  or  whether  its  resemblance  to 
known  Toluca  irons  is  sufficient  to  make  it  probable  that  it  fell  at  the 
time  of  the  Toluca  shower.  Here  again  no  positive  evidence  is  at 
hand,  but  the  chances  are,  in  my  opinion,  in  favor  of  the  latter  con- 
clusion. The  meteorite  certainly  does  not  differ  sufficiently  from 
known  Toluca  irons  so  that  its  independent  origin  can  be  asserted, 

*Mineralogical  Magazine,  vol.  IX,  No.  42,  pp. 91-179. 
TMineralogical  Magazine,  vol.  VIII,  p.  225. 


3io 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 


and  on  the  whole  it  resembles  them  considerably.  Published  analy- 
ses of  Toluca  irons  give  percentages  varying  somewhat  widely,  within 
which  limits  the  Los  Reyes  values  may  certainly  be  included.  For 
purposes  of  comparison  of  analyses,  several  that  have  been  made  of 
Toluca  irons  by  different  authorities  are  given  below: 

i.     Taylor,  American  Jour.  Sci.,  3d  ser.  XXII.     374.     1856. 

2  and  3.     Pugh,  Annal.  der  Chem.  and  Pharm.     XCVII.  385.     1856. 

4.     Nason,  Jour.  Prakt.  Chemie.     LXXI.    123.     1857. 


Mn        S          C         P  X 
0.18      0.63  =   100.46 

Insol. 
residue. 
0.03        O.24       O.34   =      99.88 

X 

0 .  20     o .  62      0.22=     09 .  06 

Tr 0.376    2.225=  99-975 

Insol 
residue. 

Tr.      0.025     °-01     °-24       O.096         99.85 


The  resemblance  in  chemical  composition  to  the  average  of  To- 
luca irons  is  thus  seen  to  be  close.  Further,  the  etching  figures  come 
within  the  limits  found  in  Toluca  irons,  since  these  vary  considerably 
in  detail  as  is  well  known.  The  meteorite  will  be  designated,  there- 
fore, as  Toluca  (Los  Reyes). 


Fe 

Ni      Co 

Cu 

I.                    90.72 

8.49    0.44 

2.                    90.74 

7.78    0.72 

0.03 

3-  87.89 

4-  90-I33 

9.06     1.07 

N v 1 

7.241 

.... 

Los  Reyes    90.56 

7.71         1.07 

0. 14 

HOPEWELL  MOUNDS,  ROSS  COUNTY,  OHIO. 


MUSEUM  No.  Me.  480. 


Among  the  objects  obtained  from  the  Hopewell  Mounds  of 
Ohio,  and  now  in  the  Anthropological  collections  of  this  Museum, 
are  a  number  made  of  iron.  These  include  a  part  of  a  head 
and  ear  ornament,  some  celts,  a  number  of  beads,  and  lastly  a 
small  unwrought  mass  weighing  about  130  grams  (5  ounces). 
Dr.  G.  A.  Dorsey,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  calling  my 
attention  to  them,  informs  me  that  they  were  all  found 
associated  with  a  single  human  skeleton  near  an  altar  of  one  of 
the  mounds.  They  were  considerably  oxidized,  so  that  the  original 
metal  is  in  most  cases  obliterated,  but  the  unwrought  mass  above 
mentioned  was  found   to  be  oxidized  only  on  the  surface.      A  quali- 


May,  1902. 


Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington. 


3ii 


tative  analysis  of  some  filings  from  this  mass  showed  the  presence 
of  nickel  and  indicated,  as  might  be  expected  since  no  other  source  of 
iron  probably  lay  open  to  the  Mound  Builders,  that  the  objects  were 
made  of  meteoric  iron.  Upon  removing  the  rust  from  one  surface 
and  submitting  the  area  so  exposed  to  the  etching  action  of  nitric 
acid,  the  meteoric  nature  of  the  iron  was  proved  beyond  question  by 


Fig.  5.    Outline  of  Hopewell  Mounds  meteorite,  with  etched  portions  showing  curving  of  the 

Widmanst&tten  figures,  probably  due  to  heating  and  hammering  that 

the  mass  has  received.    X  %. 


the  appearance  of  Widmanstatten  figures.  The  nature  of  these  fig- 
ures is  shown  in  Figs.  5  and  6,  where  the  structure  of  bands  of  kam- 
acite  separated  by  thin  ribbons  of  taenite  can.  be  plainly  discerned. 
The  width  and  continuity  of  the  kamacite  bands  varies  consid- 
erably. Some  are  at  least  a  millimeter  in  width  and  from  these 
they  grade  down  to  not  over  twice  the  width  of  the  corresponding 
taenite  ribbon.  While  many  are  continuous  in  a  general  way  for  a 
length  of  from  10  to  20  millimeters,  the  taenite  runs  through  them  all 
in  a  series  of  anastomosing  branches  and  in  places  gives  the  impres- 


312 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 


sion  of  a  network  in  which  grains  of  kamacite  are  imbedded.  The 
contour  of  the  figures  is  for  the  most  part  curved  and  wavy,  especially 
near  the  borders  of  the  section.  The  most  reasonable  explanation 
for  this  seems  to  be  the  treatment  probably  given  the  mass  by  the 
ancient  workmen.  If  heated  until  it  became  somewhat  plastic  and 
then  hammered,  just  such  curving  of  the  plates  might  be  pro- 
duced. Owing  to  the  distortion  of  the  figures  it  is  impossible  to 
positively  classify  the  iron.  Apparently  it  is  an  octahedral  iron  hav- 
ing lamellae  of  medium  width.  While  two  alloys,  kamacite  and  taen- 
ite,  are  plainly  discernible,  no  troilite  or  schreibersite  can  be  seen, 


Fig.  6.    Etched  surface  of  Hopewell  Mounds  meteorite  showing  Widmanstatten  figures  curved 

and  interwoven,  probably  on  account  of  heating  and  hammering  that 

the  mass  has  received.    X  8. 


although  the  presence  of  the  two  latter  is  indicated  by  the  percent- 
ages of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  found  on  analysis.  At  one  end  of 
the  mass  are  three  large  irregular  pores  such  as  might  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  falling  out  of  crystals  of  chrysolite  or  other  stony  mat- 
ter. There  is  no  other  evidence,  however,  that  such  stony  matter 
was  at  one  time  present  and  the  cavities  may  have  been  produced  in 
a  purely  mechanical  way.  This  seems  rather  the  more  probable  from 
the  fact  that  the  rest  of  the  mass  is  quite  compact.  The  iron  is  rather 
soft,  cutting  easily  with  a  hack-saw,  and  malleable.  It  is  active  to 
copper  sulphate. 

For  purposes  of  quantitative  analysis  a  small  piece  was  sawed 
from  one  end  of  the  mass  and  cleaned  from  rust  by  filing  and  scraping. 


May.  1902. 


Meteorite  Studies,  I — Farrington. 


3i3 


The  analysis,  made  by  Mr.   H.  W.   Nichols,  and  using  the  methods 
noted  above  for  the  Los  Reyes  meteorite,  gave  the  following  results: 


Amount  of  substance  taken,  2,166.3  grams. 

Fe 

Ni 

Co 

Cu 

Mn 

Sn 

S 

P 


95.20 
4.64 
0.404 
0.035 
trace 
trace 
0.13 
0.07 

100.48 


The  other  meteorites  known  to  have  been  found  in  Indian  mounds 
of  this  country  are  those  of  Octibbeha  County,  Mississippi,  and  the 
Turner  Mounds,  Ohio.  In  the  Octibbeha  County  iron  the  quantity 
of  nickel  reaches  59.7%,  and  this  sufficiently  distinguishes  it  from  any 
other  known  meteorite.  The  Turner  Mound  meteorites  include 
masses  from  two  different  mounds,  wThich  were  analyzed  by  Kinnicutt* 
with  the  following  results: 


Fe 
Ni 
Co 


From  Mound  No.  3. 

From  Mound  No.  4 

I. 

2. 

86.66 

88.37 

89.00 

12.67 

10.00 

10.65 

o-33 

0.44 

0-45 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Kunz  concluded  from  a  comparison  of 
the  Turner  Mounds  meteorites  with  those  of  Kiowa  County,  Kansas, 
that  on  account  of  the  marked  similarity  in  constitution  and  structure 
they  belonged  to  the  same  fall.*  The  Hopewell  Mounds  are  only 
about  seventy-five  miles  distant  from'the  Turner  Mounds  in  an  east- 
erly direction,  and  it  might  be  expected  ^that  the  same  meteoric  iron 
would  have  been  used  for  the  construction  of  the  objects  found  in 
these  mounds.  The  results  of  the  analysis  above  given  do  not,  how- 
ever, permit  this  conclusion,  the  differences  in  the  percentages  being 
greater  than  are  known  to  occur  among  the  individuals  of  a  single 
fall.  Comparison  of  etching  figures  is  out  of  the  question  on  account  of 
the  distortion  of  those  of  the  Hopewell  Mounds  specimen,  but  the  lack 
of  any-content  of  chrysolite  such  as  characterizes  the  Turner  Mounds 


♦Reports  Peabody  Museum  of  Archaeology,  vol.  3.  p.  382.  et  seq. 
♦American  Journal  of  Science,  3rd  series,  vol.  40,  pp.  316-318. 


314  Field  Columbian  Museum — Geology,  Vol.  I. 

masses  is  a  further  point  of  difference.  It  seems  impossible  at  pres- 
ent therefore  to  connect  the  Hopewell  Mounds  mass  with  any  known 
meteorite  and  the  specimen  will  therefore  be  designated  as  the  Hope- 
well Mounds  meteorite. 


TAENITE  FROM  THE  KENTON  COUNTY  METEORITE. 


One  of  the  sections  of  the  Kenton  County,  Kentucky,  meteorite 
in  the  Museum  collection  (Museum  No.  Me.  134),  tends  to  decompose 
along  the  planes  of  structure  marked  by  the  Widmanstatten  figures. 
The  result  of  this  decomposition  is  a  separation  of  the  mass  into  frag- 
ments bounded  by  octahedral  planes,  of  a  homogeneous  alloy  of  iron- 
gray  color  between  which  lie  thin,  elastic  plates  of  a  tin-white  color. 
The  first  alloy  is  undoubtedly  kamacite,  the  second  taenite.  In  order 
to  compare  this  taenite  with  that  known  from  other  meteorites,  some 
study  of  it  was  made.  The  fragments  which  it  was  possible  to  sepa- 
rate rarely  exceeded  four  square  millimeters  in  surface.  As  plates, 
they  were  thin,  elastic  and  magnetic.  The  only  feature  noted  regarding 
their  surface  was  that  it  is  often  marked  by  parallel  rows  of  minute 
ridges  extending  across  the  plate.  Corresponding  striations  usually 
appear  on  the  adjacent  kamacite.  The  plates  are  soluble  in  copper 
ammonium  chloride,  and  fusible  with  difficulty  B.B. 

In  separating  plates  for  analysis  care  was  taken  to  use  only  those 
which  could  be  completely  isolated  and  showed'no  rust.  This  proved 
a  laborious  operation,  and  after  considerable  toil  the  amount  that 
could  be  secured  for  analysis  was  only  0.022  grams.  The  analysis 
was  made  by  Mr.  H.  W.  Nichols.  Iron  was  determined  by  titration 
with  an  n/100  potassium  bichromate  solution,  and  cobalt  and  nickel 
isolated  by  means  of  two  ammonia  and  three  basic  acetate  separations 
and  then  precipitated  electrolytically. 

While  the  extremely  small  amount  used  for  analysis  makes  the 
chances  of  error  larger  than  is  desirable,  it  is  believed  that  fairly 
accurate  results  were  attained. 

The  analysis  gave: 

Fe 80.3 

Ni  and  Co 19.6 

99.9 


May,  1902.  Meteorite  Studies,   I — Farrington.  315 

This  corresponds  nearly  to  the  formula  Fe13  Ni.,  the  percent- 
ages for  such  a  compound  being: 

Fe 80.5 

Ni  and  Co 19.5 

100.00 

Other  analysts  have  obtained  for  the  percentages  of  iron  in  taen- 
ite  from  other  meteorites,  values  ranging  from  86.44%  to  57-x^%»  and 
corresponding  to  formulas  varying  from  Fe6  Ni  to  Fe4  Ni„.  Judg- 
ing from  our  present  knowledge  of  alloys  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected 
that  taenite  should  have  a  uniform  composition.  Kamacite,  being  the 
substance  with  the  lowest  freezing  point,  is  to  be  considered  the 
eutectic  of  the  series  and  as  such  has  a  fairly  uniform  composition, 
but  this  would  not  be  expected  of  the  other  alloy  or  alloys. 


INDEX. 


Page 
Acoustic    phenomena    of    falling 

meteorites 9,  1 1,     14 

Aerolites 18 

Analyses 25 

Classes 24 

Definition 18 

Description 23 

Aerosiderites 18 

Analyses 19 

Definition 18 

Description 18,     22 

Aerosiderolites 18 

Analyses 23 

Definition 22 

Description 18 

Agates,  Theory  of  formation  of.. .   197 
Age  of  the  "Pillar  of  the  Consti- 
tution"     254 

Allen,  J.  A.,  quoted 200 

Almy,  John   I).,  Communications 

with 22 1 

Altitude  of  Ixtaccihuatl,  various 

determinations  of 107 

snow  line  on  Popocatepetl. . .     92 
Popocatepetl,  Various  deter- 
minations of '    87 

Altitudes  near  the  Ranch  of  Tla- 

macas 00 

Amaga\  Iron  mining  District  of  131,  143 

Town  of 143 

Amalfi,  Mining  District  of 131,  137 

City  of 137 

Ameca,  Town  of 78,  308 

Ameca-Ameca,  same  as  Ameca. 

Amphoterite 24 

Amyzon  shales 199 

Anaime,  Mercury  ores  of 169 

Analysis  of — dolomite 230 

Hopewell  Mounds  meteorite.  313 

inesite 223 

Long  Island  meteorite 297 


Page 

Analysis  of — taenite 314 

Toluca  meteorite 308 

Analyses    of    meteorites,  quoted 

19,23,25,310,  313 

Anchitherium 185 

Andesite,  Amphibole,  of  Ixtacci- 
huatl     119 

Hypersthene.of  Popocatepetl   100 

Anori,  History  of 138 

Mining  District  of 131,  138 

Antioquia,  Department  of 130 

District  of,  West 141 

Mining  districts  and  ores  of..    130 
Anza,  Mining  District  of.  131,  141,  142 

Aragonite 249,  254 

Arsenopy rite,  in  needle  form 147 

Ascent  of-  Ixtaccihuatl 104,  105 

Popocatepetl 82 

Asiderites 18,     23 

Astroccenia  conica 215 

Awaruite 19 

Atlantosaurus 281 

Baker,  Frank  C,  quoted.  .86,  105,  in 

Ball.S.  H 181 

Bats,  Distribution  of  in  caves 148 

Becker,  G.  F.,  quoted 265 

Bibliography    of  Geology  of  Co- 
lombia    1 74 

of  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtacci- 
huatl       73 

Biela's  Comet 29,     30 

Bird  Remains 199 

Anatidae 198 

Fringillida? 200 

Galla; 200 

Blatchley,  W.  S.,  quoted. 247,  249, 

253,  264,  265 
Bradbury,  Dr.  S.  M.,  Correspon- 
dence with 267 

Breccia  from  weathering  of  pyr- 
rhotite 142 


317 


3*8 


Index. 


Page 

Brongniardite,  Occurrence  in  Co- 
lombia of 156,  157 

Brontosaurus 276 

Bronzite — of  Long  Island  meteo- 
rite   293,  299 

Ness  County  meteorite 301 

Bryan,  Wm.  A.,  quoted 198 

Bustite 24 

Calcite,  Crystal  forms  of 232 

crystals,  Coan's  Cave 265 

"  Joplin 232 

"  "     Differentiation 

of  surface  planes  of 236 

crystals,  Joplin,etching  figures  237 
"  "     Forms  of  large 

crystals 233 

crystals,    Joplin,     Forms     of 

smaller  crystals 237 

crystals,     Joplin,    Forms     of 

twinned  crystals 238 

crystals,  Joplin,  Localities  of 

large  crystals 232 

crystals,  Joplin,  Type  I..  .232,  233 
"     II..  233, 

234,  235 

"  "  "III 237 

"     IV  . . . .   238 
deposited  in  quiet  and  mov- 
ing waters 266 

Golden 229 

twins,  Joplin 238 

"      Guanajuato 240 

in  stalactites 249,  250 

Camarosaurus 280 

Catalogue  of  the  Meteorite  Col- 
lection         1 

Caledonite 224 

Blowpipe  reactions  of 225 

Crystal  forms  of 225 

Occurrence  of 224 

Capillary  attraction,  Influence  of 

on  forms  of  stalactites 251 

Caramanta\  Mining  District  of.  132,  151 

Carbonaceous  meteorites 17,     27 

Castillo,  Antonio,  quoted '  308 

Cauca,  Mines  of 127,  153,  155,  157 

Cave    Hill    Cemetery,    Marengo 

Cave 257 

Caves,  Observations  on  Indiana. .  247 


Page 

Cenotes 248 

Cephalopoda,  Development  of . . .  209 

Chalcedony 195 

Chassignite 24 

Cluna  River,  Mining  District  of. .   165 

Chladnite 24 

Chondri 26 

in  Long  Island  meteorite 294 

in  Ness  County        "         ....   301 

Chondritic  Structure 26 

Chromite— in  Long  Island  mete- 
orite . .  293, 294, 295,  297,  299,  300 

in  Ness  County  meteorite 302 

Chrysolite,  Absence  of 313 

of  Long  Island  meteorite. 293,  298 

of  Ness  County        "  301 

Circular  Halls  in  Wyandotte  Cave.  247 

Form  of 247 

Origin  of 247,  248 

Structure  of 248 

Classes  of  Meteorites 18 

Cleavage  in  Meteorites 22 

Coal  in  Colombia 129,  143,  148 

Coan's  Cave 264 

Bats  in 249 

Entrance  to 264 

Pool  in 265 

Collection  of  Ores  from  Colombia  125 
Collections  of  Ores,  Character  of 

ideal 1 26 

Collet,  — .,  quoted 253,  254 

Colorado,  Grand  River  Valley  of.  267 

Colorado  ore,  defined 132 

Colombia, 

General  Geology 128 

Gold  production 125 

Mines  of 121 

Ores  of 121 

Physical  features  of ^128 

state  of  geological  science  in.    125 

Como  Beds 267,  271,  276,  279 

Compounds  in  meteorites 17 

Contributions  to  the  Palaeontology 

of  the  Upper  Cretaceous  Series  205 
Cope,  E.  D.,  quoted.  .181,  183,  185, 

200,  281 

Copper  Ores  in  Colombia 141,  169 

Crater  of  Popocatepetl . .  94, 95, 96,    97 
Dimensions  of 96 


Ki'i  \. 


3*9 


Page 

Crystal  Cave,  Joplin.  Mo 234 

Crystal  forms  of 

calcite 229,  232 

caledonite 225 

epsomite 228 

gay-lussite 227 

inesite 221 

Crystalline  structure  of  meteorites 

19,21,  293,  295,  301 
Crystals,  experiments  on  growth 

of 265 

Crystals  from  quiet  and   moving 

water,  Characters  of 266 

Crust  of  Meteorites 1 

Long  Island  Meteorite 289 

N  ess  County  Meteorite 300 

Dakota  group  of  the  Grand  River 

Valley 270 

1  )a\ -ison,  J.  M.,  quoted 20 

'•Diamond    Dome,"     Marengo 

Cave 259 

Dinosaur  Beds  of  the  Grand  River 

Valley 267 

Diogenite 24 

Distribution  of     Bats  in  caves  248,  249 

Meteorites 12 

Sciuromorph  rodents 187 

Dolomite,  California 231 

used  as  Indian  money 230 

Dome-shaped  Halls  in  Caves. 247,  253 

Form  of 247 

Origin  of 247 

Structure  of 248 

Dorsey,  G.   A.,  On  Mines  in  Co- 
lombia   . 1 27 

cpioted 230,  310 

Dunite 24 

Dust  spouts  in  Mexico 87 

Kchandia,  Mining  District  of 153 

Effects  of  heat  on  meteorites 16 

Egg,  Fossil 193 

Measurement  of  modern 199 

Elements  in  meteorites 16 

Elliott,  D.  G.,  quoted 260 

E  psomite 228 

Eroded  stalactites  in  Shiloh  Cave  262 

Erosion  in  Marengo  Cave 256 

Erosive    and    solvent    action    of 
water  in  caves 248 


Page 

Etching  figures  on  Calcite ....  236,  237 

of  Meteorites 20,  21,  306,  311 

Eucastor 184 

Eutectic  of  meteorites 315 

Farrington,  O.  C,  author. 

Crystal  forms  of  Calcite 232 

Fossil  Egg  from  South  Dak. .    193 
Handbook  and  Catalogue  of 
the  Meteorite  Collection ...       1 

Meteorite  Studies,  I 283 

New  Mineral  Occurrences. . .  221 
Observations    on     Indiana 

Caves 247 

Observations  on  Popocatepetl 
and  Ixtaccihuatl. 

Fasciolaria 214 

Felix  and  Lenk,  on  Ixtaccihuatl..    104 

on   Popocatepetl 83 

Fissure  systems,  Wyandotte  Cave  248 

Fletcher,  L.,  quoted 3,  309 

Flos  Ferri,  Origin  of 249 

Foote,  H.  W.,  quoted 251 

Fore  Leg  and  Pectoral  Girdle  of 

Morosaurus 275 

"Fortress  Monroe,"  Marengo  Cave  257 

Fossil  Birds 199 

Anatidae 198 

Fringillidae 200 

Gallae 200 

Fossil  Egg 193 

Origin 197 

Resemblance  to  those  of  Ana- 
tine  Birds 198 

Fossils  of  the  Grand  River  Valley  272 

Upper  Cretaceous  Series 205 

Fossil  wood,  Organic  Matter  in . . .    195 
Franklinville  meteorite.  .302,  303,  304 

Frias  Mine  of  Guayabal 163 

Mining  District  of 163 

Frontino,  Mining  District  of. .  131,  141 

Fusus 215 

Gamba/f.  Pereira.on  Colombian 

Ores 125 

Gay-Lussite 226 

Crystal  Forms  of 227 

General   conclusions    upon    the 
mines  and  geology  of  Colombia .    1 74 

Gunnison  River 268 

Heddle,  H.  Forster,  quoted 197 


320 


[ndex. 


Page 

"Helen's  Dome,"  Wyandotte  Cave  247 
Heilprin,  Angelo, quoted.  .80,  106,  111 

Account  of  ascent  by 105 

Heilprin  Peak 112 

Hess,  Wm.  H.,  quoted 249 

Holmes,  W.  H.,  quoted 248 

Hovey,  H.  C,  quoted 254 

Hyatt,  Alpheus,  quoted 209 

Hystrix  refossa 183 

lbague,  City  of 167 

Mining  District  of 167 

Iddings,  J.  P.,  loan  of  crystals  by.   232 
Index  to  meteorites  mentioned  in 
Museum  Handbook  and  Cata- 
logue       62 

Indiana  Caves,  Observations  on. .   247 

1  ndian  Money 230 

Inesite 221 

Analysis  of 222 

Blowpipe  reactions  of 221 

Forms  of 221 

Formula  of 224 

Localities  of 22 1 

Iron  Ores,  in  Colombia 143 

Ixtaccihuatl,  Observations  on 67 

Glacier  on 111 

Jaguas,  defined 147 

Jamesonite 148,  150 

Jerome  meteorite 302,  303,  304 

Joint  planes  in  Long  Island  me- 
teorite     286 

Joplin,  Mo.,  Calcite  from 232 

Jurassic  Strata  of  the  Grand  River 

Valley 26c) 

Kamacite,  Composition  of 17 

in  Hopewell  Mounds  meteor- 
ite   311 

"  Kenton  County  meteorite.   314 

"  Toluca  meteorite. 306 

Nature  of , 20 

Kansada  meteorite 302,  303,  304 

Kenton  County  meteorite,  Analy- 
sis of  taenite  from 314 

Kermesite 1 52 

Knight,  Prof.  W.  C,  Communica- 
tions from 227,  228 

Kunz,   Geo.    F.,   Meteorites   pur- 
chased from 8,  34 

quoted 285 


Pasre 

La  Plata  del  Libano,  Mines  of,..    165 

Leaf  Stalactites 262 

Libano,  Mining  Districts  of 165 

Limit  of  Vegetation   on   Popoca- 
tepetl        (;2 

Loaiza  Hill,  Silver  Mines  of 153 

Logan,  Wm.  N.,  author,  Contribu- 
tions to  the  Palaeontology  of  the 

Upper  Cretaceous  Series 205 

Long  Island  meteorite, 

Analysis  of 297 

Catalogue  of eg 

Description  of 285 

Occurrence  of 283 

Los  Reyes,  Find  of  meteorite  in . .   305 

Location  of 308 

Ludwig  and  Soret,  quoted 265 

Magdalena  River,  Geology  of 159 

Mammoth  Cave,  Rotunda  in 247 

Manizales,  City  of 1 56 

Mining  District  of 156 

Map  of     Antioquia  and  Tolima. .    177 
meteorite  falls  in   Northwest- 
ern Kansas ^04 

Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl  120 

Marengo  Cave 256 

Abundance  of  stalagmites  in  257 

Floor  terrace  in 256 

Origin     of     peculiar     stalag- 
mites in 257 

Rate  of  growth  of  stalagmites 

in 261 

Stalagmo-Stalagmites  in 259 

Stream  deposit  in 257 

Mariquita,  Ancient  City  of 159 

Marmato,  Mining  District 153 

Marsh,  O.  C,  quoted 275 

Matthews,    E.   0.,   Meteorite  ob- 
tained from 305 

Measurements  of     eggs 199 

Morosaurus  bones 278,  279 

Medellin,  City  of 140 

Meek,  F.  W.,  quoted 211 

Meniscomys  hippodus 183 

Menke,   H.  W.,   Photographs  by 

191,  267 

Mercury  ores  in  Colombia 169 

"Mermaid,"  Marengo  Cave 259 

Merrill,  G.  P.,  quoted 249,251,  254 


Index. 


3^ 


Page 

Mesogaulus 184,  185,  186 

ballensis 181 

monodop 181 

sesquipedalis  .  181 

Meteorites,  Handbook  and  Cata- 
logue of I 

Studies  of 283 

Meunier,  S.,   quoted 288,  295,  303 

Milne,  Sir  Alexander,  quoted 255 

"Miln.y's    Temple,"     Wyandotte 

Cue 217 

Molecular  arrangement  of  stalag- 
mites and  stalactites 260 

Molino  ore 154 

Money,  Indian 230 

"Monument    Mountain."     Wyan- 
dotte Cave 248 

Moraine  of  Porfirio  Diaz  Glacier.  11; 

Morosaurus  agilis 27; 

Fore   Leg  and   Pectoral  Gir- 
dle of 275 

£rand"s 2-z,,  276.  278,  279 

«mpar 2J- 

lentus 275 

robustIM 275.  280 

Morton,  Xye  F.,   on    the   ores   of 

Antioquia , 1^0 

"Mount  Vesuvius."  Marengo  Cave  259 

Mylagaulida* 181 

Pliylogeny  of 184 

Mylaugaulua 181 

Ness  County  Meteorites ^oo 

New  Mineral  Occurrences 221 

Nichols,  H.W..  Analyses  by..  296.  307 

313.  3U 

Author.  Ores  of  Colombia 121 

Collections   by 232 

Fxperiments  by 265 

Nitrates  in  cave  earths 249 

<  )akley  meteorite ^o^,  304 

Observations  on  Indiana  Caves..  247 

Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl  67 
"Odd  Fellow's  Hall,"   Wyandotte 

Cave 2^1 

Ores  of  Colombia 121 

Organic  matter  in  fossils 195 

Origin  of     stalagmites  in  Marengo 

Cave 2;- 

ores  in  tuff 149 


Page 

t  feborn,  IL  F.,  quoted 276,  281 

Ostrea 213 

!  HstributJon  of 213 

beloiti 214 

Packard,  A.  S.,   quoted 77,  86,  103 

Palache,  Chas.,    Communication 

from 239 

Pamplona,  City  of 170 

Mines  of 170 

Peale,  A.  S.,  on  the  Jurassic  of  the 

Gunnison  Valley 267,  270 

Pectoral  girdle  of  Morosaurus. ..  275 
Petrified    wood.   Organic,   matter 

in 195 

Petrography  of     Ixtaccihuatl 119 

Long  Island  meteorite 293 

Ness  County  meteorite 301 

Popocatepetl • . .    100 

Pliylogeny  of  the  Mylagaulida?. .    184 
Physical  features  of  Colombia.. .  .    128 

Pico  del  Fraile 94,  99 

"Pillar  of  the  Constitution" 252 

Age  of. 254 

Pirsson,  L.  V.,  quoted 240 

Pits  on  meteorites 13,  289,  300,  306 

Po  (Indian   money) 231 

Popocatepetl.  Ascents  of 79,  82 

83,  84,  85,  86 

Description  of 80 

Observations  on 67 

Porfirio  Diaz  Glacier in 

Collecting  ground  of 112 

Fvidences  of   former   extent 

of 115 

Middle  ground  of 113 

Terminal  portion  of 114 

"        moraine  of 115 

Prairie  Dog  Creek  meteorite.. 303,  304 

Preston,  H.  L.,  quoted 302 

Preslwich,  J.,  quoted 250 

Prionotropis  woolgari 211 

"Prison  Cell,"  Marengo  Cave 2;; 

Protogaulus  hippodus 183 

Pseudoperna  wilsoni 215 

Pyrargyrite 156,  158,  160,  164,  166 

Quiuna,  Gold  mine  of 142 

Randolph,  John  C,  on  Colombia 

i?9.  164 
Kcclus,  Flisee,  quoted. . .  143,  160,  173 


32  2 


Index. 


Page 

Remedies,  City  of 132 

Mining  District  of 131,  132 

Restrepo,  Vicente,  quoted 144,  162 

Riggs,   E.   S.,    author,    Dinosaur 
Beds  of  the   Grand  River 

Valley  of  Colorado 267 

Fore  Leg  and  Pectoral  Girdle 

of  Morosaurus 275 

The  Mylagaulida? 181 

Robertson's  Cave 258 

"  Rock    of    Gibraltar,"    Marengo 

Cave •. 257 

Rodents,  Distribution  of  Sciuro- 

morph 187 

Rothroclc,  H.  A 253,  254 

"Rothrock's-  Cathedral,"  Wyan- 
dotte Cave 247 

"  Rotunda,"  Mammoth  Cave .....  247 

"  Sand  Pit,"  Marengo  Cave ......  257 

San  Pedro  Mining  District. . .  131,  140 

San  Sebastian  de  la  Plata 1 59 

Santa  Ana  Mine,  History  of 162 

Santana,  Mining  District  of 163 

Santa  Rosa  de  Osos,  City  of 139 

Mining  District  of 131,  139 

Scaphites 207 

Distribution  of 207 

nodosus 209 

cequalis 207 

Ontogeny 208 

Paleontogeny 208 

Phylogeny 208 

ventricosus 211 

warreni 209 

"       revised  and-  enlarged 

description  of. 210 

Scheiderz,  defined 196 

Schlemm,  W..H 221 

Schreibersitc 17,  19,  22,  307 

Sciuromorph    Rodents,   Distribu- 
tion of 187 

Scott,  W.  B.,  quoted 181 

"  Senate      Chamber,"      Marengo 

Cave 247,  248,  252 

Senft,  F.,  quoted 249,  250,  254,  257 

Shiloh  Cave 262 

Eroded  stalactites  in 262 

Leaf  stalactites  in 262 

Stalagmo-stalagmite  from-. . .   259 


Page 

Sierra  de  Ahualco 73,    75 

Route  to  the  Mountains  of . . .     77 

Former  fauna  of 76 

"        glaciation  of 77 

Time  of  origin  of 76 

Lavas  of 76,     77 

Sigmogomphius 184 

Slickensides, 

in  Long  Island  meteorite 288 

in  meteorites 27 

Origin  of 288 

Snow  Line,  altitude  of  on  Popo- 
catepetl   k 92 

Soledad,  Mining  District  of 161 

Specific  gravity, 

of  fossil  egg v.    1*96 

of  inesite 223 

of  Long  Island  meteorite....   292 
of  meteorites  in  general..  19, 

23,  26,     39 

of  Ness  County  meteorite 301 

Stalactites,  Eroded 262 

Leaf ;   262 

Molecular  arrangement  of. . .   260 
Modified  by  capillary  action.  251 

Vermiform 249 

Stagmalites,  Definition  of 261 

Rate  of  growth  of 261 

Stalagmites,    Abundance     of     in 

Marengo  Cave 257 

Bermuda 255 

Origin  of 258 

Molecular  arrangement  of. . .  260 

from  Robertson's  Cave 258 

Variations  in  the  form  of 258 

Stalagmo-stalactitcs 259 

Stephanite  in  Colombia 1 56 

Stibnite  in  Colombia  151,  152,  158,  161 
Stratigraphy  of  the  Grand  River 

Valley 268 

Stream  deposit  in  Marengo  Cave  257 
Subcarboniferous  strata  in  Tolima  129 
Subcarboniferous  limestone  from 

Santander 129 

Sucre,  Mining  District  of 161 

Sulphur  Mines  on  Popocatepetl  89,  90 

Supia,  Mining  District  of 155 

Syenite,  Use  of  the  term  in  Colom- 
bia    133 


Index. 


3^3 


Page 
Taenite,  Analysis  of  from  Kenton 

County  meteorite 314 

Composition  of  17,  315 

Description  of 20,  307,  312 

Tellurides  of  gold  in  Colombia  . .  141 
Terminal  Moraine,  Porfirio   Diaz 

Glacier 115 

Terrace  on  cave  floor 256 

Thames,  Rate  of  erosion  by  ..."*.  256 

Thumbmarks  of  meteorites . .  14 

Titiribi,  City  of 144 

Mining  District  of 132,  144 

Origin  of  ores  of 149 

Tolinia,  Department  of 159 

Mining  Districts  and  ores  of.  159 

Volcano  of 160 

Toluca   meteorites,   Analyses  of, 

quoted 310 

Distribution  of 308 

Triassic  strata  of  the  Grand  River 

Valley 268 

Troilite 17,  22,  291,  302,  307 

Turner  Mounds  meteorite,  Analy- 
ses of,  quoted 313 

Uncompahgre  Plateau 267 

Upper  Cretaceous  Series,    Palae- 
ontology of 205 

Venadillo,  Mining  District  of 167 

Vermiform  stalactites 130 

Vetas  de  cajon 130,  139 

Yiviparus 272 

Volcano  of  Popocatepetl 80 


Page 

Volcano  of  Tolima 160 

Ward's   Natural   Science   Estab- 
lishment,   Meteorites  obtained 

from 8,  34 

Ward,  Henry  L.,  quoted 302 

Washington,  H.  L.,  Loan  of  sec- 
tion by 304 

quoted 303 

"Washington's    Monument,"  Ma- 
rengo Cave 258 

Weinschenk,  E.,  quoted 292,  304 

Weller,  Stuart 209 

Wellmanville meteorite.  .303,  304,  305 
Western  Antioquia    Mining  Dis- 
tricts  131,  141 

Widmanstatten  figures,  Descrip- 
tion of 20,     21 

of  Hopewell   Mounds  mete- 
orite   311 

of  Toluca  meteorite 306 

Weyman,  Henry,  on  Crystal  Cave.  234 
White,  Robert,  on  petrography  of 

Colombia 129 

Willard,  J.  T.,  quoted 283 

Williston,  S.  W.,  quoted 267,  283 

Wyandotte  Cave,  Circular  halls  in  247 

Distribution  of  bats  in 248 

Fissure  systems  of 248 

"  Pillar  of  the  Constitution"  in  252 

Vermiform  stalactites  in 249 

Zancudo  Establishment 144,  145 


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